Blade core for hockey stick and the like

Abstract

A blade to be mounted to a shaft of a hockey stick or like game stick including a preformed core, a shaft receiving member and first and second preformed skins is described herein. The preformed core has distal and proximate ends, top and bottom edge portions and first and second opposite lateral faces. The top edge portion is advantageously tapered. The shaft receiving member includes lower and upper portions, first and second lateral sides. The lower portion is mounted to said proximate end of said core. The upper portion is configured and sized to receive a shaft. The core is so dimensioned that the skins define the shape of the blade. A method of making such a blade is also disclosed.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A preformed core for a blade of a hockey stick or like game stick, said stick including a shaft, said core comprising: 
 distal and proximate ends, said proximate end being configured and sized to receive the shaft;    top and bottom edge portions, said top edge portion being tapered; and    first and second opposite lateral faces, said first and second lateral faces being configured and sized to respectively receive first and second preformed skins;    wherein said core is so dimensioned that the shape of the blade is defined by the shape of the first and second preformed skins.    
     
     
         2 . A preformed core according to  claim 1 , wherein said core is made of a single piece of wear-resistant material.  
     
     
         3 . A preformed core according to  claim 2 , wherein said core includes plastic material.  
     
     
         4 . A preformed core according to  claim 3 , wherein the core is made of thermosetting plastic reinforced with high modulus fibres.  
     
     
         5 . A preformed core according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of said first and second faces includes cavities.  
     
     
         6 . A preformed core according to  claim 1 , wherein said proximate end includes a recess configured and sized to receive the shaft.  
     
     
         7 . A preformed core according to  claim 1 , wherein when the first and second preformed skins are mounted to said first and second opposite lateral faces, said core is so dimensioned so as to allow the first and second preformed skins to meet over said tapered top edge portion of the core.  
     
     
         8 . A blade core assembly for a blade of a hockey stick or like game stick, said stick including a shaft, said core comprising: 
 a core including: 
 distal and proximate ends;  
 top and bottom edge portions, said top edge portion being tapered; and  
 first and second opposite lateral faces;  
   and    a shaft receiving member including: 
 upper and lower portions, said lower portion being mountable to said proximate end of said core, said upper portion configured and sized to receive the shaft;  
 first and second opposite lateral sides;  
 wherein when said shaft receiving member is mounted to said core, a) said first lateral face of said core and said first lateral side of said shaft receiving member are in the same first plane, b) said second lateral face of said core and said second lateral side of said shaft receiving member are in the same second plane; c) said first and second planes are configured and sized to respectively receive fist and second preformed skins, and d) said core is so dimensioned that the shape of the blade is defined by the shape of the first and second preformed skins.  
   
     
     
         9 . A blade to be mounted to a shaft of a hockey stick or like game stick, said blade comprising: 
 a preformed core having distal and proximate ends, top and bottom edge portions and first and second opposite lateral faces; said top edge portion being tapered;    a shaft receiving member having lower and upper portions and first and second lateral sides; said lower portion being mounted to said proximate end of said core, said upper portion being so configured and sized as to receive the shaft;    first preformed skin mounted to both said first lateral face of said core and said first lateral side of said shaft receiving member; and    second preformed skin mounted to both said second lateral face of said core and said second lateral side of said shaft receiving member;    wherein said preformed skins define the shape of the blade.    
     
     
         10 . A blade according to  claim 9 , wherein said core is made of a single piece of wear-resistant material.  
     
     
         11 . A blade according to  claim 10  wherein said core is made of plastic material.  
     
     
         12 . A blade according to  claim 11 , wherein said core is made of thermosetting plastic reinforced with high modulus fibres.  
     
     
         13 . A blade according to  claim 9 , wherein at least one of said first and second opposite lateral faces of said core includes cavities.  
     
     
         14 . A blade according to  claim 9 , wherein said proximate end of said core includes a recess configured and sized to receive said lower portion of said shaft receiving member.  
     
     
         15 . A blade according to  claim 9 , wherein at least one of said preformed skins includes of wood.  
     
     
         16 . A blade according to  claim 9 , wherein each of said preformed skins includes outer and inner superimposed layers of material.  
     
     
         17 . A blade according to  claim 16 , wherein said outer layer includes fibre and the inner layer includes wood .  
     
     
         18 . A blade according to  claim 17 , wherein said fibre are selected from the group consisting of glass fibres, carbon fibres and kevlar fibres.  
     
     
         19 . A blade according to  claim 9 , wherein said preformed skins are configured to receive a protective layer thereon.  
     
     
         20 . A blade according to  claim 19 , wherein said protective layer includes high modulus light weight fabric.  
     
     
         21 . A blade according to  claim 20 , wherein said high modulus light weight fabric includes fibre selected from the group consisting of glass fibres, carbon fibres and kevlar fibres.  
     
     
         22 . A hockey stick or like game stick, said stick comprising: 
 a blade including: 
 a preformed core having distal and proximate ends, top and bottom edge portions and first and second opposite lateral faces; said top edge portion being tapered,  
 a shaft receiving member having lower and upper portions and first and second lateral sides, said lower portion being mounted to said proximate end of said core; and  
 first preformed skin mounted to both said first lateral face of said core and said first lateral side of said shaft receiving member; and  
 second preformed skin mounted to both said second lateral face of said core and said second lateral side of said shaft receiving member; wherein said preformed skins define the shape of the blade.  
   and    a shaft having a lower section mounted to said upper portion of said shaft receiving member.    
     
     
         23 . A hockey stick as recited in  claim 22 , wherein sadi shaft receiving member and said shaft are integrally formed.  
     
     
         24 . A method of making a blade to be mounted to a shaft of a hockey stick or like game stick, said method comprising the steps of: 
 (a) making a preformed core for the blade, said core having a size that is smaller than that of the blade, said core including distal and proximate ends, top and bottom edge portions, and first and second opposite lateral faces;    (b) making a shaft receiving portion including upper and lower portions and first and second opposite lateral sides;    (c) mounting said lower portion of said shaft receiving member to said proximate end of said core;    (d) making first and second preformed skins;    (e) mounting said first preformed skin to said first lateral face of said core and to said first lateral side of said shaft receiving member and mounting said second skin to said second lateral face of said core and to said second lateral side of said shaft receiving member, wherein said first and second preformed skin define the final shape of the blade.    
     
     
         25 . A method according to  claim 24 , wherein each said first and second skins include outer and inner layers, said method including the substep of mounting said outer layers to respective inner layers.  
     
     
         26 . A method according to  claim 24 , further including the step of mounting a protective layer to said first and second preformed skins.