Sports racquet handle assembly and pallet cap

Abstract

A sports racquet includes a head portion and a handle assembly. The handle assembly includes an elongate shaft coupled to and longitudinally extending from the head portion, a pallet extending over the elongate shaft with an outer surface defining longitudinally extending flats, a pallet cap mechanically interlocked to the pallet and a grip extending over the pallet and the pallet cap.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A sports racquet comprising:
 head portion;   a handle assembly comprising:
 an elongate shaft coupled to and longitudinally extending from the head portion; 
 a pallet extending over the elongate shaft and having an outer surface defining longitudinally extending flats; 
 a pallet cap mechanically interlocked to the pallet against longitudinal movement relative to the pallet; and 
 a grip extending over the pallet and the pallet cap. 
   
     
     
         2 . The sports racquet of  claim 1  comprising:
 a projection extending from one of the pallet and the pallet cap; and 
 a detent in the other of the pallet and the pallet cap, the detent receiving the projection. 
 
     
     
         3 . The sports racquet of  claim 2 , wherein the detent comprises a laterally extending groove. 
     
     
         4 . The sports racquet of  claim 3 , wherein the laterally extending groove extends into the pallet. 
     
     
         5 . The sports racquet of  claim 2 , wherein the projection comprises a laterally extending tab. 
     
     
         6 . The sports racquet of  claim 2 , wherein the laterally extending tab comprises tapering sides. 
     
     
         7 . The sports racquet of  claim 2 , wherein the projection comprises a cylindrical plug and wherein the detent comprises a cylindrical hole. 
     
     
         8 . The sports racquet  claim 2 , wherein the detent removably receives the projection. 
     
     
         9 . The sports racquet of  claim 1 , wherein the pallet comprises one of a projection and a projection receiving detent and wherein the pallet cap has a first longitudinal end and a second longitudinal end and comprises the other of the projection and the projection receiving detent, wherein the other of the projection and the projection receiving detent is spaced from the first longitudinal end by first distance and the second longitudinal and by second distance different than the first distance. 
     
     
         10 . The sports racquet of  claim 1 , wherein the pallet cap comprises a first panel abutting a first one of the flats defined by the pallet, a second panel extending from the first panel and abutting a second one of the flats defined by the pallet and a third panel extending from the first panel and abutting a third one of the flats defined by the pallet. 
     
     
         11 . The sports racquet of  claim 1 , wherein the pallet has a longitudinal length of at least 200 mm. 
     
     
         12 . The sports racquet of  claim 1 , wherein the pallet cap is mechanically interlocked to the pallet at one of a plurality of available longitudinal mechanically interlockable positions along the shaft. 
     
     
         13 . The sports racquet of  claim 1  further comprising:
 longitudinally spaced projections extending from one of the pallet and the pallet cap; and 
 longitudinally spaced detents in the other of the pallet and the pallet cap, the detents receiving the projections. 
 
     
     
         14 . The sports racquet of  claim 8 , wherein each of the detents comprises a laterally extending groove. 
     
     
         15 . The sports racquet of  claim 9 , wherein each of the laterally extending grooves extends into the pallet. 
     
     
         16 . The sports racquet of  claim 9 , wherein each of the projections comprises a laterally extending tab. 
     
     
         17 . A pallet cap for use with a sports racquet comprising a handle assembly having one of a projection and a detent, the pallet cap comprising:
 a body overlie the handle assembly; and   the other of the projection and the detent, the other of the projection and the detent to mechanically interlock the body to the handle assembly to restrict relative longitudinal movement of the pallet cap and the handle assembly.   
     
     
         18 . The pallet cap of  claim 17 , wherein the handle assembly comprises longitudinally extending flats and wherein the body comprises:
 a first panel to abut a first one of the flats, the first panel comprising the other of the projection in the detent is formed on the first panel;   a second panel to abut a second one of the flats, the second panel extending from the first panel; and   a third panel to abut a third one of the flats, the third panel extending from the first panel.   
     
     
         19 . The pallet cap of  claim 18 , wherein the first panel has a first longitudinal end and a second longitudinal end and wherein the other of the projection and the projection receiving detent is spaced from the first longitudinal end by first distance and the second longitudinal end by second distance different than the first distance. 
     
     
         20 . A sports racquet comprising:
 a head portion;   a handle assembly comprising:
 an elongate shaft coupled to and longitudinally extending from the head portion; 
 a pallet extending over the elongate shaft and having an outer surface defining longitudinally extending flats; and 
 one of a detent and a projection receiving detent on one of the longitudinally extending flats, said one of the detent and the projection receiving detent to receive a corresponding other of the detent and the projection receiving detent of a pallet cap to facilitate mechanical interlocking of the pallet and the pallet cap to restrict relative longitudinal movement. 
   
     
     
         21 . The sports racquet of  claim 20  further comprising a second one of a detent and a projection receiving detent on said one of the longitudinally extending flats and longitudinally spaced from said one of the detent and the projection receiving detent, said second one of the detent and the projection receiving detent to receive the corresponding other of the detent and the projection receiving detent of the pallet cap to facilitate mechanical interlocking of the pallet and the pallet cap at a second longitudinal location along the pallet.