| Apparatus and method for repairing a hockey stick shaft -> Monitor Keywords |
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Apparatus and method for repairing a hockey stick shaftRelated Patent Categories: Games Using Tangible Projectile, Player Held And Powered, Nonmechanical Projector, Per Se, For Projecting Aerial Projectile By Striking; Part Thereof Or Accessory Therefor, Club, Having Elongated Blade (e.g., Hockey Stick, Etc.)Apparatus and method for repairing a hockey stick shaft description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060293128, Apparatus and method for repairing a hockey stick shaft. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
RELATED APPLICATIONS AND PRIORITY CLAIM [0001] The present application is a continuation application of U.S. Utility application Ser. No. 10/993,213 filed Nov. 19, 2004, entitled, "APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR REPAIRING A HOCKEY STICK SHAFT", which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/523,416 filed Nov. 19, 2003, entitled, "APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR REPAIRING A HOCKEY STICK SHAFT," U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/530,367 filed Dec. 16, 2003, entitled, "APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR REPAIRING A HOCKEY STICK SHAFT," and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/559,273 filed Apr. 1, 2004, entitled, "APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR REPAIRING A HOCKEY STICK SHAFT," all of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for repairing a broken hockey stick. More specifically, the present invention relates to a repair member adapted to attach and retain a first shaft portion, a first hockey stick shaft portion and a second hockey stick shaft portion in an aligned relation so as to define a repaired hockey stick shaft. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Over the years, advancements in material technology have lead to increased sophistication in the manufacturing and performance of hockey sticks. Traditionally, hockey sticks were manufactured primarily of wood with a fiberglass covering on the blade portion. The wood stick comprised a solid shaft either machined of a single piece of wood or by sandwiching multiple layers of wood together. These solid shafts were typically very durable but suffered somewhat from increased weight as well as limited flexibility. [0004] Through the use of advanced material technologies, modern hockey sticks are often manufactured of a wide variety of materials. In addition to the aforementioned wood and fiberglass, newer materials including lightweight metals, such as aluminum, and high performance polymers and composite materials such as, for example Kevlar.RTM., graphite, ABS, carbon fiber and ceramics are being used either individually or in combination. Using these new materials, stick suppliers such as Hillerich & Bradsby, CCM, Christian Brothers, Cooper, Mission, Hespeller and Bauer/Nike have been able to alter hockey stick performance to alter and tune stick characteristics such as weight and stick flex. [0005] One way in which these new materials have affected stick construction is through the development of hockey sticks having hollow shafts. These sticks can be manufactured of any of the aforementioned materials and can be either one-piece designs, such as the Easton Synergy.TM., Louisville Response.TM., or Mission M1.TM. models, or they can include removable/replaceable blades and shaft extensions to vary the overall stick length. Representative hollow shaft designs include U.S. Pat. No. 3,934,875 to Easton et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,086,115 to Sweet, Jr. et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,325 to Jansen; U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,916 to Rodger; U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,553 to Rodgors; U.S. Pat. No. 5,447,306 to Selden; U.S. Pat. No. 5,496,027 to Christian et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,947 to Quigley et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,628,509 to Christian; U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,836 to Carroll et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,416 to Christian; U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,955 to Calapp et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,117,029 to Kunisaki et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,793 to Burger; U.S. Pat. No. 6,224,505 to Burger; U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,633 to Conroy; U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,697 to Sulenta; as well as U.S. Design Pat. No. 404,449 to Burger; No. 430,249 to Burger; No. 431,273 to Burger; and No. 458,329 to Clark, Jr. et al. and U.S. Patent Application Publications Nos. 2002/0065154A1 to Goldsmith et al.; and 2003/0119612A1; all of these patents, design patents and patent applications being hereby incorporated by reference to the extent not inconsistent with the present disclosure. With the development of these technologically advanced hockey sticks, suppliers have been able to charge a premium when selling these high performance hockey sticks to the public. [0006] One drawback to the new shaft designs is that with a hollow shaft, the user has an increased potential to break the stick in the shaft as opposed to more traditional blade breakages. As the new shaft and stick designs often have a significant replacement cost associated with them, this can lead to significant warranty and service issues for suppliers was well as frustration on the part of consumers. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0007] In one aspect, the present invention comprises a repair member for use in repairing hollow shafted hockey sticks. In one presently preferred embodiment, a shaft repair insert can quickly and safely repair a broken, hollow-shafted hockey stick so as to restore the hockey stick to its prior condition such as, for example, similar performance, appearance and overall usability. The shaft repair insert of the present invention allows suppliers to provide users with a repair option allowing them to substantially decrease and eliminate warranty replacement costs as well as negative perceptions associated with the breakage of expensive hockey sticks. [0008] In another aspect, the present invention can comprise is a shaft repair insert comprising two insertion portions and a spacer portion. The two insertion portions are adapted for insertion into a broken, hollow-shaft and can include features to promote adhesion with the hollow shaft such as adhesives, coatings, surface treatments, barbs and other appropriate means. The shaft repair insert can be manufactured of any of the materials commonly used in constructing hockey sticks and does not require the shaft repair insert use the same material used in constructing the hollow shaft. The shaft repair insert can be manufactured in a variety of cross-sectional configurations such that it can be successfully employed in shafts having a variety of cross-sections, for example rectangular, oval, triangular or other alternative geometric configurations and combination thereof. [0009] In another aspect, the present invention comprises a shaft repair insert having two insertion ends. The two insertion ends are adapted for insertion into a broken, hollow-shaft and can include features to promote adhesion with the hollow shaft such as adhesives, surface treatments, barbs and other appropriate means. The shaft repair insert can be manufactured of any of the materials commonly used in constructing hockey sticks and does not require the shaft repair insert use the same material as used in constructing the hollow shaft. The shaft repair insert can be manufactured in a variety of cross-sectional configurations such that it can be successfully employed in shafts having a variety of cross-sections, for example rectangular, oval, triangular or other alternative geometric configurations and combinations thereof. [0010] In another aspect, the present invention comprises a shaft repair insert having two insertion components and a joining component for repairing a broken hockey stick shaft. The tow insertion components can each comprise a throughbore or partial bore adapted for insertion such as through slidable or threadable insertion of the joining component. The shaft repair insert can further include an adhesive to promote interconnection between the insertion components and the joining component. [0011] In another aspect, the present invention comprises methods of using the aforementioned shaft repair inserts to repair a hollow-shafted hockey stick or shaft. [0012] In another aspect, the present invention comprises a shaft repair sleeve. The shaft repair sleeve can be adapted for placement over or around a hockey stick shaft, wherein two portions of a broken stick or shaft are operably interfaced and held together in an aligned relation. The shaft repair sleeve can be used to repair nicks, scratches and other defects prior to an actual stick fracture. The shaft repair sleeve can have a solid form with a hollow interior for slidable placement or the sleeve can take the form of sheet of a tape, a wrap, a sheet or a fabric of material such as, for example, woven or non-woven forms of composite and non-composite materials, that is wrapped around the interface between two portions of a stick shaft. The shaft repair sleeve, either in solid form or a wrap, can include means for promoting attachment to a hockey stick shaft such as, for example, adhesives, friction enhancers, coatings or other appropriate surface treatments. The shaft repair sleeve can be manufactured of any of the materials commonly used in constructing hockey sticks and does not require the shaft repair sleeve use the same material used in constructing the hockey stick shaft. When manufactured in a solid form, the shaft repair sleeve can be adapted to have a wide variety of cross-sectional configurations such that it can be successfully employed with stick shafts having a variety of cross-sections, for example rectangular, oval, triangular or other alternative geometric configurations and combinations thereof. The shaft repair sleeve can be manufactured of a heat sensitive or chemically activated material such that the sleeve can be "shrink-wrapped" around the hockey stick shaft to minimize the cross-section of the repaired hockey stick. [0013] In another aspect, the present invention comprises methods of using the aforementioned shaft repair sleeves to repair a hollow-shafted hockey stick. [0014] In another aspect, the present invention comprises methods of using the aforementioned shaft repair inserts in combination with the aforementioned shaft repair sleeves to repair a hollow shafted hockey stick. [0015] In another aspect, the present invention comprises a blade receiving insert designed for repairing damage in a hollow shafted hockey stick that occurs at an insertion end where a replaceable blade is attached. The blade receiving insert can comprise an insertion portion and receiving portion. The insertion portion can comprise a male portion adapted for insertion into a hollow shaft and can include features to promote adhesion with the hollow shaft such as adhesives, surface treatments, barbs and other appropriate means. The insertion portion can be manufactured in a variety of cross-sectional configurations such that it can be successfully employed with stick shafts having a variety of cross-sectional configurations, for example rectangular, oval, triangular, or other alternative geometric configurations and combinations thereof. The receiving portion is adapted to receive a shank or hozel from a replaceable blade. The receiving portion can be manufactured in a variety of cross-sectional configurations such that it can be successfully employed with replaceable blades having shanks with a variety of cross-sectional configurations, for example rectangular, oval, triangular or other alternative geometric configurations and combinations thereof. The receiving portion can be configured so as to promote compatibility between shafts and replacement blades such as, for example, shafts and blades from differing manufacturers that were previously incompatible due to dimensional differences between the shaft cross-section and the blade shank cross-section. The blade receiving insert can further be used to increase or modify the overall length of the hockey stick shaft such as, for example, when a shaft repair requires the removal of a broken or fractured portion of the hockey stick shaft or when a user outgrows or wishes to change the performance, such as for example, flexibility, weight or durability, of the stick shaft. The blade receiving insert can be manufactured of any of the materials commonly used in constructing hockey sticks and does not require the blade receiving insert use the same material used in the construction of either the hollow shaft or the replaceable blade. In addition, the aforementioned repair sleeve can be used in conjunction with the blade receiving insert to further promote the attachment of the blade receiving insert and the hockey shaft. [0016] In another aspect, the present invention comprises methods of using the aforementioned blade receiving insert to repair or modify a hollow shafted hockey stick. [0017] In another aspect, the present invention can comprise a shaft repair insert or blade receiving insert in which an insert component and a self-hardening adhesive or expanding composition is used to facilitate connection of the insert to a hockey stick shaft portion. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0018] The invention can be more completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings. [0019] FIG. 1 is a side view of a hollow-shafted hockey stick. Continue reading about Apparatus and method for repairing a hockey stick shaft... Full patent description for Apparatus and method for repairing a hockey stick shaft Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Apparatus and method for repairing a hockey stick shaft patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Apparatus and method for repairing a hockey stick shaft or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Racket and method of stringing the racket Next Patent Application: Bat handle with optimal damping Industry Class: Games using tangible projectile ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Apparatus and method for repairing a hockey stick shaft patent info. 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