US20050272537A1

US20050272537A1 - Improved adjustable bat grip

Info

Publication number: US20050272537A1
Application number: US11/161,913
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert Kramer
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1993-07-09
Filing date: 2005-08-22
Publication date: 2005-12-08

Abstract

A one body member solid molded bat handle grip manufactured from Thermoplastic material or the likes for improving the gripping control of the batter for baseball or softball, which is useful for left handed or right handed players. The longitudinal raised surface along the bat handle grip allows the batter alignment of the knuckles for proper wrist roll. The grip is capable of starching over the bat knob onto the bat handle and sized for being grasped by both hands of the user. The grip fits moveably snug around the bat handle for manually rotating it around the handle to prolong the life of thin walled aluminum bats. And can keep the label lined up when batting with wooden bats. The grip is essentially immovable when squeezed by the batter. Finger channels or finger separating barriers may be included along the longitudinal raised surface. The grip material helps to reduce vibration, sting and blistering to the hands of the batter, and also reduces bat slippage.

Description

DESCRIPTION

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a hand grip for Baseball and Softball bats. The invention is a one body member molded from Thermoplastic material or the likes for starching over the bat knob on to the bat handle for being griped with two hands of the batter providing knuckle alignment and for proper wrist roll and for increasing the gripping control and reduces vibration, sting and blistering to the hands of the batter and is adjustable around the bat handle essentially immovable when manually squeezed by the batter.
2. Description of Related Art
The game of baseball and softball at all levels is typically played with either a wood or an aluminum bat, and is used to strike the ball. Although major baseball leagues still only use wooden bats, pro and armature softball leagues, baseball and softball college leagues, high school baseball and softball leagues and little league baseball and softball mostly use aluminum bats. Heretofore, players often use batting gloves to increase their gripping control when gripping the bat handle of the bat when striking the ball. Often the aluminum bat grip surface is of a leather or synthetic wrapped grip that can be slippery, especially if the batters hands are sweaty and if the batters hands are wet from rain. When players use wooden bats, an additional gripping additive is used of pine tar with batting gloves to achieve a better grip on the wooden bat. Using tar on wooden bats with batting gloves is often an unpleasant experience because of the sticky substance attaches to anything the player's touch. Baseball and softball players often use tap for their bat grip, but the drawbacks of this grip is the tap quickly becomes worn out and is then no longer suitable until replaced.
The present invention overcomes the problems of the prior art by providing for a substantial one body injected molded member bat grip that allows for added bat gripping control and power for any batter using an aluminum or wooden bat. The grip includes a raised surface portion for the batter to increase the gripping control and swing power by providing for proper knuckle alignment and is manufactured from a soft sticky material, Thermoplastic or the likes, reducing slippage by the batters hands when sweaty and reducing slippage when batters are batting in the rain, and can expand up to two and one half (2 1/2) times the original size for starching the grip over the bat knob onto the bat handle.
In the alternative embodiment members of the invention, one embodiment includes a plurality of finger receiving channels disposed about the longitudinal raised portion of the grip. In another embodiment member includes the disposed longitudinal raised portion with finger separating barriers to allow individual fingers of the batter to grasp the grip.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A grip for use with a ball bat such as a baseball or softball bat used to play the game of baseball and softball. The grip is comprised of a solid one body member and opened at both ends and sized to fit movably snug around the bat handle, sized in length for being grasped by two hands simultaneously by the batter and having a single continuous longitudinal raised exterior surface portion for knuckle alignment and increasing the gripping control of the batter. The body member is composed of a material such as Thermoplastic or the likes with a hardness that can be from 15 shore A to 30 shore A as the soft material for starching over the bat knob onto the bat handle and creates a good surface for contact by the player's hands.
The one body member grip can also include a plurality of finger channels, or finger separating barriers, at least eight, in a side by side array along the raised exterior surface of the device to give the fingers of the user added gripping control.
The invention in all the disclosed body members, once installed onto the bat can be manually rotated around the bat handle to the users likes and to prolong the life of aluminum bats.
It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide an improved baseball or softball bat grip.
It is yet still another object of the invention to provide for an improved hand grip for a bat that can reduce vibration, stinging, and blistering to the hands and providing added bat control for the user.
In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a side elevation view of the embodiment of the invention with the bottom tapered portion, installed on a baseball bat.
FIG. 2A shows a side elevation view shown in FIG. 1 without the baseball bat.
FIG. 2B shows a top plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2A.
FIG. 3A shows a side elevation view of an alternate embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 3B shows a top plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3A.
FIG. 4A shows a side elevation view of an alternate embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 4B shows a top plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, and in particular FIG. 1, the present invention is shown generally at 10, a one body member grip 11 attached around the handle of a baseball bat 9 and the knob of the bat 13 is exposed.
The grip 11 is a one body member molded bat grip as a solid unit from Thermoplastic material or the likes that is opened at both ends including a tapered bottom portion and having a raised portion that is disposed longitudinally 12 to provide for knuckle alignment. FIG. 13 shows the knob of a baseball bat. The batter can move the hand grip around the bat handle until a desired location is found which provides for rotated ball impact to aluminum bats for prolonging the life of the aluminum bats. The batter can also move the hand grip around the bat handle of wooden bats to line up the bat label and batters grip for proper grip alignment. Once the grip has been rotated around the bat handle to the position desirable by the batter, then the grip will stay in that position because the inside cylindrical passage size 15 of the grip is up to 0.150 inches smaller then the outside diameter of the bat handle allowing the molded grip that is manufactured from Thermoplastic material or the likes with a hardness that can be from 15 shore A to 30 shore A for starching over the bat knob to fit firmly around the bat handle.
FIG. 2A shows an the embodiment of the grip and includes the raised ridge for knuckle alignment 12 that can be 0.250 inches at the highest point and the opposite or back side of the grip is approximately 0.030 inches thick.
FIG. 3A shows an alternate embodiment of the invention with the remainder of the structure being similar and includes the exterior raised ridge with finger receiving channels 14 for added bat control. FIG. 3B shows the top plan view of FIG. 3A.
FIGS. 4A and 4B show the embodiment that include separating barriers 16 for the fingers for both hands simultaneously while at the same time having a raised ridge 17 that provides for knuckle alignment while the fingers are separated by separating barriers 16.
The invention has been shown and described herein in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, FIG. 2A, FIG. 3A and FIG. 4A. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made there from within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A one body member molded baseball and softball bat handle grip, said body member manufactured to be a solid one body member that is molded from Thermoplastic material or the likes with a hardness that can be from 15 shore A to 30 shore A for allowing the inside cylindrical passage size to expand up to two and one half (2 1/2) times the original size for starching over the bat knob onto the bat handle, said body member having an inside cylindrical passage sized to fit movably snug around the bat handle and including a single continuous longitudinal, raised exterior surface portion for knuckle alignment and for proper wrist roll and for increasing the gripping control, sized in length for being grasped by two hands simultaneously by the batter and for reducing vibration, sting and blistering on the hands of the batter and said inside cylindrical passage being open at the top and bottom end when engaged around the bat handle; and

said body member being manually adjustable around the bat handle essentially immovable when manually squeezed by the batter.

2. A ball bat grip as in claim 1, wherein body member exterior raised surface portion include a plurality of finger receiving channels disposed about the body member.

3. A ball bat grip as in claim 1, wherein body member exterior raised surface portion include a plurality of finger separating barriers spaced apart sufficiently to allow individual fingers to be received between adjacent finger separating barriers.

4. A ball bat grip as in claim 1, wherein said body member fits movably snug around a wooden bat handle for manually adjusting the grip around the bat handle to line up the bat label and batters grip for proper grip alignment with the wooden bat label.