| Silicone grips for golf clubs and methods of making same -> Monitor Keywords |
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Silicone grips for golf clubs and methods of making sameSilicone grips for golf clubs and methods of making same description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070173343, Silicone grips for golf clubs and methods of making same. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001]This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/761,465, filed Jan. 24, 2006, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002]The present invention relates generally to grips and, more particularly, to grips for golf clubs. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003]There are many different types of grips used today for a wide variety of items, including without limitation, golf clubs, tools (hammer handles, etc.), racquets (hand ball, badminton, or tennis racquets), bats (baseball or softball), pool cues, umbrellas, fishing rods, etc. Slip-on golf club grips made of a molded rubber material or synthetic plastic are well known in the golf industry. The term "slip-on" as employed herein refers to a grip that slides on to a shaft or handle and is secured by way of an adhesive or the like. Slip-on grips are available in many shapes and forms. [0004]Golf club grips conventionally are printed with some amount of text, patterns and/or graphics. For example, many golf club grips include the name of the golf club manufacturer, and/or include a logo or symbol, and/or include one or more patterns/colors. Because of their shape, slip-on type golf club grips can be somewhat difficult to print using conventional methods. Moreover, slip-on golf club grips for putters can have substantially irregular shapes and configurations that can make printing difficult. Also, the printing on conventional golf club grips can be damaged by wear and the effects of weather. [0005]Silicone rubber is used commercially as a substitute for natural rubber products. Silicone rubber has advantageous properties over natural rubber with respect to durability, flexibility over a wide temperature range and resistance to ozone and ultraviolet attack. Because of these superior properties, some golf club manufacturers are manufacturing golf clubs with grips formed from silicone. Unfortunately, silicone can be a somewhat difficult material upon which to print using conventional methods. [0006]Thus, a need has arisen for improved printing methods for slip-on type golf club grips, particularly silicone grips. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0007]Golf grips for golf clubs are provided. The grip comprises an elongated flexible sleeve that slips onto the shaft of a golf club, silicone ink applied to the sleeve surface to form printed indicia thereon, and an elongated flexible panel of silicone material wrapped around and integrally bonded to the sleeve, wherein the printed indicia is visible through the panel. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0008]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a flexible sleeve for a golf club grip, according to some embodiments of the present invention. [0009]FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the flexible sleeve of FIG. 1. [0010]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the sleeve of FIG. 1 taken along Lines 3-3. [0011]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the sleeve of FIG. 2 taken along Lines 4-4. [0012]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the sleeve of FIG. 2 taken along Lines 5-5. [0013]FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the flexible sleeve of FIG. 1 with printed indicia thereon, according to some embodiments of the present invention. [0014]FIG. 7 is a plan view of a flexible silicone panel that is configured to be wrapped around and bonded to the flexible sleeve of FIG. 6, according to some embodiments of the present invention. [0015]FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of a golf club grip wherein the flexible panel of FIG. 7 has been wrapped around and integrally bonded to the flexible sleeve of FIG. 6, according to some embodiments of the present invention. [0016]FIG. 9 is a flow chart of operations for forming a grip for a golf club, or other article, according to some embodiments of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0017]The present invention now is described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. [0018]Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. In the figures, the thickness of certain lines, layers, components, elements or features may be exaggerated for clarity. Broken lines illustrate optional features or operations unless specified otherwise. All publications, patent applications, patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Continue reading about Silicone grips for golf clubs and methods of making same... Full patent description for Silicone grips for golf clubs and methods of making same Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Silicone grips for golf clubs and methods of making same 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. 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