Hand-held section of a sporting good implement

Abstract

A hand-held section of a sporting good implement includes a body extending along a longitudinal axis and having multiple interconnected faces, a palm-engaging section defining a first face of the multiple interconnected faces, and a finger-engaging section defining a second face of the multiple interconnected faces opposed to the first face. A shape of the palm-engaging section is different than a shape of the finger-engaging section. The palm-engaging section and the finger-engaging section are spaced apart by a transverse distance and the multiple interconnected faces of the body define a perimeter such that a circumferential overlap is defined between a distal phalanx of an index finger of a user and a thumb of the user, a tip of the thumb of the user circumferentially extending to at most a joint interconnecting the distal phalanx to a remainder of the index finger when the hand is wrapped around the hand-held section.

1 . A hand-held section of a sporting good implement, comprising:
 a body extending along a longitudinal axis, the body having multiple interconnected faces distributed around the longitudinal axis;   a palm-engaging section defining a first face of the multiple interconnected faces;   a finger-engaging section defining a second face of the multiple interconnected faces opposed to the first face, a shape of the palm-engaging section different than a shape of the finger-engaging section; and   the palm-engaging section and the finger-engaging section being spaced apart by a transverse distance and the multiple interconnected faces of the body define a perimeter such that a circumferential overlap is defined between a distal phalanx of an index finger of a user and a thumb of the user, a tip of the thumb of the user circumferentially extending to at most a joint interconnecting the distal phalanx to a remainder of the index finger when the hand is wrapped around the hand-held section.   
     
     
         2 . The hand-held section of  claim 1 , wherein the hand-held section defines a finger-engaging groove extending longitudinally from a first end to a second end of the hand-held section, the finger-engaging groove sized to receive tips of fingers of the user. 
     
     
         3 . The hand-held section of  claim 2 , wherein the finger-engaging groove is defined by a longitudinally extending face on the hand-held section, the longitudinally extending face being free of a convex surface. 
     
     
         4 . The hand-held section of  claim 3 , wherein the longitudinally extending face defines a concave surface. 
     
     
         5 . The hand-held section of  claim 2 , wherein the finger-engaging groove is located at an intersection between two of the multiple interconnected faces. 
     
     
         6 . The hand-held section of  claim 5 , wherein the multiple interconnected faces are convex but for at the finger-engaging groove. 
     
     
         7 . The hand-held section of  claim 1 , wherein the hand-held section defines a palm-engaging bump on the palm-engaging section configured to register with metacarpophalangeal joints of a hand of the user. 
     
     
         8 . The hand-held section of  claim 7 , wherein a distance between the longitudinal axis and the hand-held section is maximal at an apex of the palm-engaging bump. 
     
     
         9 . The hand-held section of  claim 7 , wherein the palm-engaging bump is defined by a first face of the multiple faces and located between a first intersection between the first face and a second face of the multiple faces and a second intersection between the first face and a third face of the multiple faces. 
     
     
         10 . The hand-held section of  claim 9 , wherein two faces of the multiple interconnected faces meet at a finger-engaging groove, the two faces including the second face and a fourth face of the multiple interconnected faces, the fourth face being opposite to the first face. 
     
     
         11 . The hand-held section of  claim 1 , wherein the hand-held section is defined by a shaft-plug removably secured to a shaft of the sporting good implement, the shaft-plug locally increasing a cross-sectional area of the shaft. 
     
     
         12 . The hand-held section of  claim 1 , wherein the hand-held section and a shaft of the sporting good implement are monolithic parts of a single body. 
     
     
         13 . A sporting good implement, comprising:
 a shaft extending along a longitudinal axis, the shaft having a hand-held section defining:
 multiple interconnected faces distributed around the longitudinal axis; and 
 a finger-engaging groove at an intersection between two faces of the multiple interconnected faces, the finger-engaging groove extending longitudinally relative to the longitudinal axis and sized to receive tips of fingers of a user; 
   wherein a perimeter of the hand-held section is selected such that a circumferential overlap is defined between a distal phalanx of an index finger of the user and a thumb of the user.   
     
     
         14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . The sporting good implement of  claim 13 , wherein the finger-engaging groove defines a longitudinally extending face on the hand-held section, the longitudinally extending face being concave. 
     
     
         16 . The sporting good implement of  claim 13 , wherein the hand-held section defines a palm-engaging bump configured to register with metacarpophalangeal joints of a hand of the user. 
     
     
         17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . (canceled) 
     
     
         19 . A hockey stick, comprising:
 a blade; and   a shaft extending along a longitudinal axis from a blade end to a top end, the blade affixed to the blade end of the shaft, the shaft defining a hand-held section to be engaged by a hand of a user, the shaft having a baseline cross-sectional area taken on a plane normal to the longitudinal axis, the hand-held section:
 locally increasing a cross-sectional area of the shaft above the baseline cross-sectional area; and 
 defining a finger-engaging groove extending longitudinally relative to the longitudinal axis along the hand-held section and sized to receive tips of fingers of a user. 
   
     
     
         20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . The hockey stick of  claim 19 , wherein the finger-engaging groove defines a longitudinally extending face on the hand-held section, the longitudinally extending face being concave, and the hand-held section defines a palm-engaging bump configured to register with metacarpophalangeal joints of a hand of the user. 
     
     
         22 . (canceled) 
     
     
         23 . (canceled) 
     
     
         24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . A shaft-plug adapted to be affixed to a shaft of a hockey stick, comprising a body extending longitudinally from a first end to a second end, the body defining a cavity sized to receive the shaft of the hockey stick, the body increasing an effective perimeter of the shaft, the body defining a finger-engaging groove extending longitudinally between the first end to the second end, the finger-engaging groove sized to receive tips of fingers of a user. 
     
     
         26 . (canceled) 
     
     
         27 . The hand-held section of  claim 1 , wherein the sporting good implement is a hockey stick. 
     
     
         28 . The sporting good implement of  claim 13 , wherein the sporting good implement is a hockey stick.