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[0001] This invention relates to the field of sport bats, and more particularly to sport bats of laminated wood.
[0002] Many sport bats, such as for baseball, softball, and cricket, are lathe turned from a single piece of hardwood. Others are made from aluminum. Each type of bat has drawbacks
[0003] Wood bats are not very durable They can splinter during use, which is a safety hazard, as well as disrupting play and costing money. The billets of wood from which the bats are made are inconsistent and often contain hidden flaws that weaken the bat Two bats made from the same lot of wood and with identical dimensions can vary greatly in weight, strength, and hitting power. Sources of good-quality wood for baseball bats are limited and the cut wood billets must be closely inspected before acceptance by a bat maker. The production of highest-quality bats is limited by the wood that is available to the manufacturers
[0004] Aluminum bats are much more durable and uniform than traditional wood bats For these reasons, aluminum bats are often used for school play, although aluminum bats are not allowed in major league baseball play by regulation. Another drawback of aluminum bats is that the sound they make when hitting a baseball is unpleasant to many people The unpleasant ringing sound is due to persistent vibration in the bat, which also frequently causes the player's hands to sting after a hit A major problem is the difficulty of transitioning from an aluminum to a wood bat.
[0005] Baseball bats have been made of other materials, such as fiber-resin composites, but most players agree that they prefer the sound and feel of a wood bat.
[0006] Accordingly, there is a need for a wood bat that is durable and safe, not breaking unpredictably during play. There is a need for a bat can be made inexpensively and does not require special wood and laborious inspection. There is further a need for a bat with traditional sound and feel, but that has design flexibility to allow for adapting the balance, weight, and position of the “sweet spot” to a player's or designer's preferences.
[0007] This invention is a sport bat, such as a baseball bat, constructed of laminated wood, preferably of laminated bamboo strips. Bamboo is a plentiful and strong wood, typically with a very straight grain Laminated bamboo is a wood product that is more uniform than primal hardwood timbers and can be engineered to vary the stiffness of the laminate as desired.
[0008] Because laminated bamboo is denser than the woods traditionally used for sport bats, the bat of the present invention includes one or more internal chambers to decrease the total weight of the bat. The internal chambers are conveniently formed by omitting certain strips of bamboo from the lay-up of the laminated billet, according to a pre-planned lay-up schedule.
[0009] The internal chambers both decrease total weight and move the center of gravity of the bat toward the end opposite the handle. The preferred location of the internal chambers is below, that is, toward the handle from, the “sweet spot.” The internal chambers also function by “enlarging the sweet spot” and dampening vibration. The sweet spot will be discussed in more detail below.
[0010] Each internal chamber may preferably be reinforced with a sleeve insert, a rubbery coating on the interior wall of the chamber, or by lightweight shock-absorbent material filling the chamber.
[0011] The bamboo strips are laid up around the sleeve insert, if used, to form a blank, or billet, of at least the length and diameter of the finished baseball bat. After the adhesive used for lamination has been cured, the billet is turned on a lathe to produce the rough baseball bat An end cap is preferably attached to the end of the bat and the bat is sanded and finished as desired
[0012] The baseball bat according to the present invention has a traditional sound and feel at impact. However, the bat of the present invention is more durable and reliable than traditional wood bats The bat is made inexpensively from a plentiful material and has far more design flexibility than a one-piece wood bat. The bat of the present invention is well-damped for vibration and does not sting the hands of the batter.
[0013] The invention will now be described in more particular detail with respect to the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout.
[0014]
[0015]
[0016]
[0017]
[0018]
[0019] Baseball bat
[0020] It is well known that striking, or hitting, a ball with a bat typically causes vibration in the bat. The vibration can be severe enough to sting the hands of the person batting It is also well known that some hits do not result in vibration being felt in the hands of the batter Such hits also tend to result in the ball traveling especially far and fast. There are various hypotheses of what causes this phenomenon; one especially credible explanation is the “acoustic” theory of Rod Cross as cited by Daniel Russell.
[0021] The acoustic explanation involves the fact that a typical ball bat has three main vibrational bending modes that are activated when as ball is struck Cross defines the zone between the [farthest from the handle] nodes of the first and second modes of vibration as the “sweet zone”, analogous to what is traditionally called the “sweet spot”, a point on the bat that yields strong hits without vibration of the hands. Herein this zone will be called sweet spot
[0022] Batting portion
[0023] It is preferred that internal chambers
[0024]
[0025] Billet
[0026] Bat
[0027] In the preferred embodiment of
[0028] Sleeve insert
[0029] Sleeve insert
[0030] Internal chamber
[0031] In the preferred embodiment shown in
[0032] Although particular embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, various changes may be made in the form, composition, construction, and arrangement of the parts herein without sacrificing, any of its advantages. Therefore, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in any limiting sense, and it is intended to cover in the appended claims such modifications as come within the true spirit and scope of the invention.