Lacrosse head

Abstract

A lacrosse head including a sidewall having upper and lower rails and an optional cross member. At least one of the upper and lower rails and cross member are cored out to define a recess. The recess can be partitioned by multiple trusses into multiple individual voids. The voids can be of increasing depth, progressing from shallower to deeper depths from the bottom rail to the upper rail. The lower rail can be reinforced with additional trusses near the base or ball stop of the head to add strength and rigidity there. The density of the trusses and/or cross sectional area of material can be altered in the upper rail, lower rail and cross member to selectively alter stiffness in those components. The stiffness of these components can also vary to provide different position heads, for example, attack, midfield and defense heads, with selectively different stiffness and strength characteristics.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows: 
     
         1 . A lacrosse head comprising:
 a throat adapted to connect to a lacrosse handle;   a base joined with the throat, the base including a ball stop, the ball stop extending from an upper ball stop rim to a lower ball stop rim;   a scoop distal from the base;   a first sidewall and a second sidewall, each extending from the base toward the scoop and joined with one another distal from the base at the scoop, each first and second sidewall being of an open frame construction, each first and second sidewall including an upper rail and a lower rail and a cross member extending between and joined with the upper rail and the lower rail, and   a longitudinal axis extending from the ball stop toward the scoop,   wherein at least one of the upper rail, lower rail and cross member is cored out to define a plurality of voids,   wherein each of the plurality of voids opens toward an interior of the head, toward the longitudinal axis,   wherein at least one void from the plurality of voids includes a first truss extending across the at least one void.   
     
     
         2 . The lacrosse head of  claim 1  wherein the plurality of voids are defined in the upper rail, the lower rail and the cross member. 
     
     
         3 . The lacrosse head of  claim 2  wherein voids defined by the bottom rail are shallower than the voids defined by the upper rail. 
     
     
         4 . The lacrosse head of  claim 1  wherein the first truss includes an interior edge that faces toward the longitudinal axis and forms a ball contact surface on the interior. 
     
     
         5 . The lacrosse head of  claim 4  wherein the lower rail includes a truss density,
 wherein the truss density is greater adjacent the ball stop, and decreases toward the scoop. 
 
     
     
         6 . The lacrosse head of  claim 1  wherein the lower rail includes a first truss density and the upper rail includes a second truss density, the first truss density greater than the second truss density. 
     
     
         7 . The lacrosse head of  claim 1  wherein each of the plurality of voids is bounded by a closed bottom wall, a first truss inner wall and a second truss inner wall, wherein the bottom wall is substantially concave. 
     
     
         8 . The lacrosse head of  claim 1 ,
 wherein a first plurality of voids are defined in the upper rail,   wherein a second plurality of voids are defined in the lower rail,   wherein a third plurality of voids are defined in the cross member.   
     
     
         9 . The lacrosse head of  claim 8 , wherein a first void is common to the first plurality of voids defined in the upper rail and the third plurality of voids defined in the cross member. 
     
     
         10 . A lacrosse head comprising:
 a throat adapted for connection to a lacrosse handle;   a base joined with the throat;   a scoop distal from the base;   a pair of sidewalls extending from the base and joined with one another distal from the base at the scoop, each sidewall being of an open frame construction and including at least one non-string hole, each sidewall including an upper rail and a lower rail separated from one another by a distance, each sidewall including a cross member joined with the upper rail and the lower rail; and   a longitudinal axis extending from the base toward the scoop;   wherein the base, scoop and pair of sidewalls form an interior of the head and an outwardly facing exterior;   wherein the lower rail defines a first plurality of voids opening toward the interior, but not the exterior, toward the longitudinal axis,   wherein individual voids from the first plurality of voids are separated from one another and generally bounded by a first plurality of intersecting trusses arranged perpendicular to a vertical plane passing through the longitudinal axis;   wherein each of the first plurality of voids is bounded by a first closed bottom so that each of the first plurality of voids does not extend completely through the lower rail, the first closed bottom further bounding each of the first plurality of voids.   wherein a plurality of net holes are defined in the lower rail, in a plurality of preselected closed bottoms.   
     
     
         11 . The lacrosse head of  claim 10 ,
 wherein the upper rail defines a second plurality of voids opening toward the interior, toward the longitudinal axis,   wherein the second plurality of voids are separated from one another and bounded by a second plurality of intersecting trusses arranged perpendicular to the vertical plane passing through the longitudinal axis;   wherein each of the second plurality of voids is bounded by a second closed bottom so that the each of the second plurality of voids does not extend completely through the upper rail.   
     
     
         12 . The lacrosse head of  claim 11 ,
 wherein the first plurality of voids have a first void depth,   wherein the second plurality of voids have a second void depth,   wherein the first void depth is less than the second void depth.   
     
     
         13 . The lacrosse head of  claim 12  wherein the cross member defines a third plurality of voids opening toward the interior, toward the longitudinal axis,
 wherein the third plurality of voids are separated from one another and bounded by a third plurality of intersecting trusses arranged perpendicular to the vertical plane passing through the longitudinal axis; 
 wherein each of third plurality of voids is further bounded by a third closed bottom so that the each of third plurality of voids does not extend completely through the cross member. 
 
     
     
         14 . The lacrosse head of  claim 13 ,
 wherein the third plurality of voids have a third void depth,   wherein the third void depth is less than the second void depth.   
     
     
         15 . The lacrosse head of  claim 10  wherein the first plurality of trusses have a truss density that is greater near the base than near the scoop. 
     
     
         16 . The lacrosse head of  claim 10  wherein the upper rail and cross member have a second and third plurality of voids, respectively, wherein a depth of the first plurality of voids is greater than another depth of the second and third plurality of voids. 
     
     
         17 . A lacrosse head comprising:
 a throat adapted for connection to a lacrosse handle;   a base joined with the throat;   a scoop distal from the base;   a pair of sidewalls extending from the base and joined with one another distal from the base at the scoop, each sidewall being of an open frame construction and including at least one non-string hole, each sidewall including an upper rail and a lower rail separated from one another by a distance, each sidewall including a cross member joined with the upper rail and the lower rail; and   a longitudinal axis extending from the base toward the scoop,   wherein the upper rail, lower rail and cross member reach include a cored out portion,   wherein the upper rail, lower rail and cross member include a plurality of trusses that separate the cored out portion into a plurality of voids,   wherein the plurality of voids open inward, toward the longitudinal axis.   
     
     
         18 . The lacrosse head of  claim 17 ,
 wherein the cored out portion is generally concave, opening toward the longitudinal axis,   wherein the plurality of trusses extend inward toward the longitudinal axis,   wherein the plurality of trusses are generally planar elements,   wherein the plurality of trusses are substantially perpendicular to a plane extending through the longitudinal axis.   
     
     
         19 . The lacrosse head of  claim 17  wherein the plurality of voids increase in depth progressing from the lower rail to the upper rail. 
     
     
         20 . The lacrosse head of  claim 17  wherein the plurality of voids include a first void of a first depth, and a second void of a second depth, wherein the first depth is greater than the second depth, wherein the respective first and second depths impart a preselected flexibility to at least one of the upper rail, lower rail and cross member.