| Device for aligning strings of a racquet -> Monitor Keywords |
|
|
 
Device for aligning strings of a racquetRelated 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, Racket Or Paddle; Accessory Therefor (e.g., A Tennis Racket, Tennis Racket Press, Etc.), Accessory For Use With Racket Or Paddle (e.g., Used With Or For Tennis Racket, Etc.)Device for aligning strings of a racquet description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070202972, Device for aligning strings of a racquet. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation of copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/760,676 filed on Jan. 20, 2004 which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention generally relates to the stringed racquets, and, more particularly, to hand held devices used to realign or respace the vertical and horizontal positioning of the strings of such racquets that have moved during game use. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Racquets having strings interwoven in a generally oval frame are used for sports such as tennis, racquetball, squash or badminton. Although strings are typically tightly interwoven, the strings undergo deforming forces that tend to force them from their desired orthogonal, grid-like relationships into misalignment. This misalignment affects the tension of the strings themselves, and alters the true hitting surface, which may result in an uneven or unpredictable force on the ball, and a miss-hit. As a result, it is not uncommon to see players realigning the strings with his/her fingers during a match. [0004] While devices exist for realigning racquet strings, most are cumbersome to use or bulky arrangements that cannot typically be carried with the player on the court. Consequently, the player must frequently retreat to the sidelines to realign racquet strings. For example, devices such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,489,942, 4,989,864, and 5,441,258 include large grid-like patterns of protrusions that are designed to engage the openings between the strings of the racquet substantially simultaneously. The protrusions are narrower at the tip than at their base such that as they are forced into the openings between the strings, the strings move from the tip outward along the slanted or rounded surfaces of the protrusion to the enlarged base, the strings are forced back into their proper alignment. These arrangements, however, typically require the racquet to be placed on a flat surface or otherwise supported in order to facilitate application of an appropriate straightening force to the strings. Although the arrangements disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,489,942 and 5,441,258 attempt to minimize or eliminate the need for such external support by providing a cover hinged to the aligning base or a bracket for pivoting the base to the racquet, respectively, the arrangements are cumbersome, and a consistent straightening force is most readily applied by supporting the racquet on another surface. Moreover, these devices are necessarily limited to a particular string arrangement. They are also relatively large and clearly could not be carried in the player's pocket or utilized on the court. [0005] While U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,089,523, 4,733,866, 5,207,423, 5,310,181 and 5,310,182 attempt to overcome the difficulties with the sheer size of the above devices by providing rotating presentations of such grids, smaller versions of such grids, or single rows of such grids, such devices still present numerous drawbacks. As an initial matter, the devices are still relatively large and not readily carried by the player in a pocket for use on the court. Further, it is difficult to apply a consistent straightening force to the device without supporting the racquet on another surface. They are also not particularly useful with irregular stringing arrangements that differ from the traditional horizontal and vertical pattern. Finally, these smaller devices, as well as their larger counterparts, do not provide any mechanism for effectively straightening the strings surrounding the more elongate openings at the edges of the racquet. [0006] Another common type of aligner utilizes a plurality of small combs to pull or push the strings into alignment. Such devices are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,776,591, 5,035,429, and 5,653,441. These devices are awkward to use, however, and may produce inconsistent results. As a result, as with most other devices, the racquet is often set down in order to effectively utilize these types of devices. As with the grid type arrangements, these devices may not be useful with irregularly strung racquets. Moreover, even if such devices are made small enough to fit into the player's pocket, the plurality of protruding teeth on the device present sharp edges that may snag in the player's pocket, making use of the device on the court between play impractical. Such snagging is likewise exhibited with the multi-angle bent wire of U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,071. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0007] The invention provides a handheld device for realigning the strings of a racquet, such as a tennis, racquetball, squash, or badminton racquet. The device comprises a body portion from which one or more alternately shaped protrusions extend. The protrusions generally include four-sided shapes that are sized to be progressively received in the openings between the strings of the racquet, but not pass completely through the openings. Preferably, at least one of the protrusions has a generally square shape when viewed from the edge, and another generally rectangular, such that the square shape may be received between the preferably square openings of the strings and the rectangular shape may be received in the spaces between the strings disposed adjacent the frame of the racquet. Protrusions of alternate shapes may be provided that reflect the shape of the preferable opening between the racquet strings. For example, a protrusion may have a generally trapezoidal shape when viewed from the edge such that the protrusion would be particularly useful in realigning the strings of a racquet wherein a portion of the string pattern fans out from a location along the frame. [0008] The device preferably includes two or three such protrusions, although it may include a single such protrusion or more than three protrusions. In an embodiment wherein the device includes two such protrusions, the body portion may be elongated and include a generally centrally located necked-in portion to facilitate handling of the device during use and application of the straightening force. Alternately, if the device includes three such protrusions, the body preferably has a generally triangular disk-like shape, the variously sized protrusions extending outward at the corners of the triangular disk. [0009] The device is preferably formed of a durable polymeric material and is sized to easily fit into the pocket of the player. Further, the device is shaped such that it will not readily become snagged in the pocket between uses. Thus, between plays, the user may easily remove the device from his/her pocket, insert the appropriate protrusion into the opening between the strings and twist or rock the device or perform a combination of these actions to pry and straighten the few strings that may have become distorted, then return the device to his/her pocket and continue play. Typically, the user will not need to insert the device into each and every opening. Rather the user may skip an opening or so inasmuch as straightening essentially all the strings may be accomplished by straightening the strings surrounding only a portion of the openings. [0010] The device may also readily be utilized for advertising purposes. It presents various surfaces upon which a promoter could present identifying information, such as company name, address, phone number, website, or event information or the like. [0011] These and other advantages of the present invention, as well as additional inventive features, will be apparent from the description of the invention provided herein. Further features and advantages of the present invention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the present invention, are described in detail below with respect to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals indicate identical or similar elements. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0012] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a device for aligning stings on racquets constructed in accordance with teachings of the invention. [0013] FIG. 2 is side elevational view of the device of FIG. 1 taken along line II-II in FIG. 1. [0014] FIG. 3 is side elevational view of the device of FIG. 1 taken along line III-III in FIG. 1. [0015] FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the device of FIG. 1 taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 1. [0016] FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the device of FIG. 1 taken along line V-V in FIG. 1. [0017] FIG. 6 is a plan view of another embodiment of a device for aligning stings on racquets constructed in accordance with teachings of the invention. [0018] FIG. 7 is an end view of the device of FIG. 6 taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 6. [0019] FIG. 8 is an end view of the device of FIG. 6 taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 6. Continue reading about Device for aligning strings of a racquet... Full patent description for Device for aligning strings of a racquet Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Device for aligning strings of a racquet 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 Device for aligning strings of a racquet or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Table-tennis table Next Patent Application: Single wall ball bat including quartz structural fiber Industry Class: Games using tangible projectile ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Device for aligning strings of a racquet patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.13766 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Daimler Chrysler , DirecTV , Exxonmobil Chemical Company , Goodyear , Intel , Kyocera Wireless , 174 |
 * Protect your Inventions * US Patent Office filing 
PATENT INFO |
|
