Sleeve adapted to be fitted around a hockey stick blade

Abstract

A sleeve and method of fitting the sleeve around at least a portion of a blade of a hockey stick is provided. The sleeve has an integral tubelike body made of an elastomeric rubber. In addition, the sleeve has an inner surface and an outer surface, as well as a first opening end and a second opening end. The tubelike body is elastically deformable and configured to frictionally fit the inner surface around at least a portion of the blade so that the outer surface of the sleeve is substantially free of superficial interruptions. In addition, the outer surface is free of superficial interruptions and made of an elastomeric rubber to enhance deflection of a puck by the outer surface.

1 . A sleeve adapted to be fitted around at least a portion of a hockey stick blade, the sleeve comprising:
 an integral tubelike body made of elastomeric rubber and having an inner surface and an outer surface as well as a first opening end and a second opening end, the body being elastically deformable and configured to fit the inner surface around at least a portion of the hockey stick blade;   wherein the outer surface is substantially free of superficial interruptions to enhance deflection of a puck by the outer surface, and the inner surface is configured to frictionally engage at least a portion of the blade.   
     
     
         2 . The sleeve of  claim 1 , wherein a distance between the first opening end and the second opening end is about 6-10 inches. 
     
     
         3 . The sleeve of  claim 1 , wherein the elastomeric rubber comprises ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber. 
     
     
         4 . The sleeve of  claim 3 , wherein the ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber has a Shore A harness between 30 and 90 and an ultimate tensile strength of at least 25 MPa. 
     
     
         5 . The sleeve of  claim 1 , wherein the body can be deformed and revert to a relaxed configuration at a temperature between −25 and 45 degrees Celsius and a distance between the inner surface and the outer surface of the body is between 0.01 and 0.1 of an inch. 
     
     
         6 . The sleeve of  claim 5 , wherein the temperature is between 0 and 30 degrees Celsius and the distance is between 0.03 and 0.05 of an inch. 
     
     
         7 . The sleeve of  claim 6 , wherein the elastomeric rubber comprises ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber and the distance is between 0.035 and 0.045 of an inch. 
     
     
         8 . The sleeve of  claim 7 , wherein a distance between the first opening end and the second opening end is about 6-10 inches, and the ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber has a Shore A harness between 30 and 90 and an ultimate tensile strength of at least 25 MPa. 
     
     
         9 . The sleeve of  claim 8 , wherein the distance is about 8-9 inches. 
     
     
         10 . The sleeve of  claim 9 , wherein the integral tubelike body is configured to be removed from the hockey stick blade. 
     
     
         11 . A hockey stick and a sleeve assembly comprising:
 a hockey stick having a shaft and a blade, wherein the blade has a toe and a heel;   an integral tubelike sleeve made of ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber and having an inner surface and an outer surface as well as a first opening end and a second opening end, the sleeve being elastically deformable and configured to fit the inner surface around at least a portion of the blade of the hockey stick when the sleeve is at a temperature between −25 and 45 degrees Celsius;   wherein the outer surface is substantially free of superficial interruptions to enhance deflection of a puck by the outer surface, the inner surface being configured to frictionally engage at least a portion of the blade.   
     
     
         12 . The assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the sleeve is configured to be removed from the hockey stick blade. 
     
     
         13 . The sleeve of  claim 11 , wherein a distance between the inner surface and the outer surface of the body is between 0.035 and 0.045 of an inch and a distance between the first opening end and the second opening end is about 8-9 inches. 
     
     
         14 . A method of fitting a sleeve around at least a portion of a blade of a hockey stick, the method comprising:
 providing a blade of a hockey stick, wherein the blade has a toe and a heel;   providing a sleeve made of an ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber and having an inner surface and an outer surface as well as a first opening end and a second opening end;   elastically deforming the sleeve when the sleeve is at a temperature between −25 and 45 degrees Celsius;   moving the toe of the blade into the opening ends of the sleeve; and   positioning the blade relative to the sleeve, such that the inner surface frictionally engages at least a portion of the blade between the toe and the heel;   so that the sleeve fits around the portion of a blade.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the step of providing the sleeve includes a step of forming the sleeve from an ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the steps of moving and positioning include a step of sliding the sleeve over the blade. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , the method further comprising a step of cutting away at least a portion of the sleeve. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14 , the method further comprising a step of cutting away at least a portion of the sleeve, wherein the step of providing the sleeve includes a step of forming the sleeve from an ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber and the steps of moving and positioning include a step of sliding the sleeve over the blade.