CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] Provisional Patent 60/395,022 Jul. 12, 2002

BACKGROUND

[0003] 1. Field of Invention

[0004] This invention relates to an improvement for tennis racquets, golf clubs, and other sporting equipment that employ a handle. Specifically, the improvement is a means to add variable weights to the tail end of a racquet or club. The tail end refers to the end of the handle of a racquet or club.

[0005] 2. Description of Prior Art

[0006] The addition of weight to improve playability and feel is a common way to customize racquets or clubs. In fact, many professional players employ some type of custom weighting to improve their racquet or clubs performance. While weighting a racquet/club can have dramatic effects, the placement of the weight is critical to achieve improved performance. For example, application of weight at the tail-end of a racquet or club increases power and control, reduces shock, and maintains swing weight. In contrast, a weight placed at the head or side of a racquet reduces power and control, increases shock, and increases swing weight. Therefore, the preferred placement of a weight to achieve optimum performance is at the tail-end of a racquet or club handle. The amount of weight depends on the particular racquet characteristics, physical ability of a player along with his/her specific desires. The ideal weight would be different for each player. In addition, in a sport such as tennis, a player matches his skill against opponents whose playing styles and physical abilities greatly vary. A successful player is one who will be able to adjust his game to counter that of his opponent. Therefore, it is very desirable for a player to vary the weight placed on a racquet/club so as to ‘tune’ his game to current conditions. To be able to vary the weighting of a racquet quickly and efficiently, even during a match, is a great asset.

[0007] Unfortunately, no methods currently exist that allow a player to easily attach variable weight to the tail-end of a racquet or club. Current techniques promoted by the sporting industry, involve disassembly of the racquet handle (removing grip and butt cap) and adding weight along with cotton padding inside the handle. Not only is this method cumbersome and time consuming, the method requires a racquet/club with a hollow handle to hold the weight. If a handle is solid, the player must gouge out a cavity or not use a weight.

[0008] Another technique used and sited in U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,421, “Counter-weighting handle grip”, requires the player to wrap lead/felt tape beneath a golf club handle grip. This method is cumbersome, increases grip size, and doesn't place the weight at the ideal tail-end location of a handle.

[0009] In U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,902 to McCutchen (1991), a static distal butt weight for a tennis racquet handle, for the purpose, among others, of extending the center of percussion, absorbing shock, and increasing the momentum of the racquet. This method is not a variable weighting method, but rather adds one fixed weight to the racquet handle

[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,453 to Douglas et al. (1992) shows a tennis racquet with a solid butt weight attached to its handle end by means of an “acorn shaped weighted extension” (4) attachable to the end of the handle by welding or screwing it on (5:8). Once again this is not a variable method to add weight to the tail end of a racquet or club.

[0011] U.S. Pat. No. 4,984,793 to Chen (1991) teaches an elongated rubber sheath over a conventional butt cap, the sheath extending up the handle with numerous recesses for containing small individual optional weights under the player's hand. This method does not provide a means to quickly and easily change weight. Additionally, the weight placement is in the handle not at the optimum location of the tail-end.

[0012] In conclusion, solutions of prior art for weighting the tail end of a racquet or club, all pertain to fixed or static weighting and do not address the fundamental difficulty of allowing a player to efficiently and easily change the weight on the fly or even during play. Insofar as we are aware, no sporting racquet/club handle mechanism formerly developed provides a means to quickly and easily vary the weight located at the tail end of a handle.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

[0013] Accordingly, several objects and advantages of the present invention are:

[0014] 1. to provide custom tail-end weighting;

[0015] 2. to provide variable weighting;

[0016] 3. to provide rapid user-friendly weight adjustments;

[0017] 4. to provide weighting in an economical manner.

[0018] Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from a study of the following description and the accompanying drawings.