Shock-attenuated sports racquet with shock damping sleeve

Abstract

A shock-attenuated sports racquet is provided which includes a shock damping sleeve comprising a transversely extending, resilient, and continuous loop member stretched between main strings on a stringed face of the racquet. The disclosure further includes a method of combating shock-related fatigue and/or injury in performance of a racquet sport, involving playing of the racquet sport with the shock-attenuated sports racquet, as well as a method of enhancing damping of shock transmission incident to striking of a ball with a stringed face of a sports racquet, by disposing such a loop member on strings of the stringed face of the sports racquet during stringing or restringing thereof.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A shock-attenuated sports racquet, comprising:
 a racquet body comprising an elongate shaft defining a proximal grip portion and a distal head portion circumscribing a stringed face including an array of longitudinally oriented main strings and transversely oriented cross strings, wherein the main strings are transversely spaced apart from one another in the array, and the cross strings are longitudinally spaced apart from one another in the array, with the main strings being woven successively over and under the cross strings, and the cross strings being woven successively over and under the main strings; and   a transversely extending, resilient, and continuous loop member stretched between anchoring ones of the main strings so that the anchoring ones of the main strings are disposed interiorly of the loop member and support the stretched loop member at its transverse margins, with the stretched loop member being woven successively over and under main strings that are intermediate the anchoring ones of the main strings so that the intermediate main strings contact the stretched loop member exteriorly thereof, with at least two intermediate main strings between the anchoring ones of the main strings in the array, and with the loop member being restrained in longitudinal movement by at least one cross string of the array.   
     
     
         2 . The shock-attenuated sports racquet of  claim 1 , comprising four intermediate main strings between the anchoring ones of the main strings of the array. 
     
     
         3 . The shock-attenuated sports racquet of  claim 1 , wherein the loop member is disposed at a medial proximal portion of the stringed face. 
     
     
         4 . The shock-attenuated sports racquet of  claim 1 , wherein the loop member is restrained in longitudinal movement by one cross string of the array. 
     
     
         5 . The shock-attenuated sports racquet of  claim 1 , wherein the loop member is formed of elastomeric material. 
     
     
         6 . The shock-attenuated sports racquet of  claim 5 , wherein the loop member is formed of rubber. 
     
     
         7 . The shock-attenuated sports racquet of  claim 1 , wherein the loop member is formed of stretchable elastic fabric material. 
     
     
         8 . The shock-attenuated sports racquet of  claim 7 , wherein the stretchable elastic fabric material comprises woven fibers. 
     
     
         9 . The shock-attenuated sports racquet of  claim 7 , wherein the stretchable elastic fabric material comprises non-woven fibers. 
     
     
         10 . The shock-attenuated sports racquet of  claim 1 , wherein the loop member has an aspect ratio, W/L, of transverse dimension W to longitudinal dimension L, in a range of from 1 to 8. 
     
     
         11 . The shock-attenuated sports racquet of  claim 1 , wherein the loop member has an aspect ratio, W/L, of transverse dimension W to longitudinal dimension L, in a range of from 1 to 6. 
     
     
         12 . The shock-attenuated sports racquet of  claim 1 , wherein the loop member has an aspect ratio, W/L, of transverse dimension W to longitudinal dimension L, in a range of from 2.5 to 6. 
     
     
         13 . The shock-attenuated sports racquet of  claim 1 , comprising a tennis racquet. 
     
     
         14 . The shock-attenuated sports racquet of  claim 1 , comprising a squash racquet. 
     
     
         15 . The shock-attenuated sports racquet of  claim 1 , comprising a racquetball racquet. 
     
     
         16 . A method of combating shock-related fatigue and/or injury in performance of a racquet sport, comprising playing of the racquet sport with the shock-attenuated sports racquet of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the racquet sport comprises tennis. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the racquet sport comprises squash. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the racquet sport comprises racquetball. 
     
     
         20 . A method of enhancing damping of shock transmission incident to striking of the ball with a stringed face of a sports racquet, comprising disposing a loop member on strings of the stringed face of the sports racquet during stringing or restringing thereof so as to form the shock-attenuated sports racquet of  claim 1 .