DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0020] Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIGS. 1-3, a ski pole grip assembly in accordance with the present invention comprises a hand grip 40 which is preferably made of cork materials, but may also be made of plastic, rubber, synthetic materials or the like. The hand grip 40 includes a bore 41 formed therein, particularly formed in the lower portion thereof for receiving or engaging the ski pole 10 therein. The hand grip 40 includes an orifice 42 formed therein, particularly formed in the upper portion thereof and having an inner diameter greater than that of the bore 41 thereof, for forming or defining an inner peripheral shoulder 47 between the bore 41 and the orifice 42 thereof. The hand grip 40 further includes an opening 43 formed in the upper portion thereof and communicating with the orifice 42 thereof.

[0021] A barrel 30 is received or engaged in the orifice 42 of the hand grip 40, and includes a lower portion engaged with the inner peripheral shoulder 47 of the hand grip 40, and may be secured to the hand grip 40 with fasteners or adhesive materials or the like. The barrel 30 includes a chamber 31 formed therein, particularly formed in the lower portion thereof for receiving the upper portion of the ski pole 10, best shown in FIG. 2, and includes a cavity 32 formed therein, such as formed in the upper portion thereof and facing toward and aligned with and communicating with the opening 43 of the hand grip 40. The barrel 30 is made of stronger materials, such as the metal materials, the plastic materials, the composite materials or the like, that has a greater strength than that of the cork materials. The barrel 30 includes an aperture 33 formed therein and communicating with the cavity 32 thereof.

[0022] A cap 60 may further be provided and secured on top of the hand grip 40, and/or on top of the barrel 30, by such as fasteners, adhesive materials, or the like, for enclosing or for shielding the barrel 30 within the hand grip 40. The cap 60 is also preferably made of cork materials for forming an integral or a complete cork ski pole grip, but may also be made of plastic, rubber, synthetic materials or the like. The cap 60 may be secured on top of the hand grip 40 without being secured onto the barrel 30, or, on the contrary, may be secured on top of the barrel 30 without being secured onto the hand grip 40. However, preferably, the cap 60 may be secured onto the hand grip 40 and the barrel 30 simultaneously for increasing the strength of the ski pole grip.

[0023] The hand grip 40 includes a through hole 44 formed therein, particularly formed in the upper portion thereof and communicating with the orifice 42 thereof, for aligning with the aperture 33 of the barrel 30 and for receiving a shaft 70 therein. The shaft 70 is engaged through the through hole 40 of the hand grip 40 and the aperture 33 of the barrel 30 and engaged or extended through the cavity 32 of the barrel 30, best shown in FIG. 2. An engaging strap 50 is preferably made of woven or nonwoven cloth materials, or plastic or rubber or the other flexible materials, or the like, and includes such as two ends secured together for forming an endless loop structure. The engaging strap 50 has a portion engaged into the opening 43 of the hand grip 40 and the cavity 32 of the barrel 30 for allowing the shaft 70 to be engaged through the engaging strap 50 and to secure the engaging strap 50 to the hand grip 40 and the barrel 30.

[0024] As best shown in FIG. 2, the engaging strap 50 is primarily secured or attached to the barrel 30 with the shaft 70, such that the barrel 30 that is made of stronger material than that of the cork material, may sustain or resist most of the force applied to the engaging strap 50 and to the ski pole grip. The hand grip 40 that may be made of the cork material may simply be engaged or attached onto the barrel 30, and will not sustain the force of the engaging strap 50 applied to the ski pole grip. The ski pole grip assembly thus includes a hand grip 40 that may be made of cork material for allowing the users to comfortably grasp and hold the ski pole grip. In addition, after the hand grip 40 has been worn out or has been damaged, for example, the barrel 30 may be disengaged from the hand grip 40 and may be engaged into or secured to the other hand grip 40, for allowing the hand grip 40 to be easily replaced or changed with the other ones.

[0025] Alternatively, the shaft 70 may also be engaged through the barrel 30 without being engaged through the hand grip 40, such that the shaft 70 may also be used to secure the engaging strap 50 to the barrel 30.

[0026] Accordingly, the ski pole grip assembly in accordance with the present invention includes a changeable hand grip for allowing the hand grip to be easily changed with the other ones. The outer hand grip of the ski pole grip may be made of cork material for increasing or for facilitating the grasping of the hand grip.

[0027] Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example only and that numerous changes in the detailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.