Tapered grip for sensors

Abstract

A golf club grip has a grip body and an end cap that houses a sensor. The grip body has a gripping surface that does not interact with the end cap and therefore defines a stable point of contact for a golfer's hands. The end cap is integrally formed or otherwise secured to an end of the grip body. The end cap includes a lower region configured to couple with the grip body. The end cap further includes an upper region having a first cavity that receives the sensor. In order to influence the golfer to grip within the gripping region, the upper region is further tapered to define a non-gripping surface that guides a golfer's grip toward the stable gripping surface, thereby providing a more stable and repeatable contact point between the golfer's hands and the golf grip.

1 . A golf club grip, comprising:
 a grip body comprising a first end, defining a socket, and a second end opposite the first end; and   an end cap, comprising;
 an outer diameter; 
 a lower region comprising a plug having an exterior surface and a lower cylindrical wall, the plug being sized for insertion into the socket to form a connection between the end cap and the grip body; 
 an upper region opposite the lower region, and comprising a grip assembly butt end, an exterior surface defining a non-gripping surface, and an upper cylindrical wall defining a lip; and 
 an intermediate wall extending across the lower region, and comprising an upper surface facing the upper region and a lower surface opposite the upper surface;
 wherein the upper surface is recessed into the upper region via the upper cylindrical wall to form an upper cavity sized to harbor a sensor; and 
 wherein the lower surface is recessed into the lower region via the lower cylindrical wall to form a lower cavity. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The golf club grip of  claim 1 , wherein the socket and the plug have complementary geometries that form a tight connection to secure the end cap to the grip body. 
     
     
         3 . The golf club grip of  claim 1 , wherein the upper region adjacent the intermediate wall defines a maximum outer diameter of the end cap. 
     
     
         4 . The golf club grip of  claim 1 , wherein a surface between the first end and the second end defines a gripping surface, and a non-gripping surface is defined by the end cap. 
     
     
         5 . The golf club grip of  claim 1 , wherein the socket forms an outer circumference of the connection between the end cap and the grip body. 
     
     
         6 . The golf club grip of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor is secured with an adhesive, or through a mechanical means, such as press-fitting. 
     
     
         7 . The golf club grip of  claim 1 , wherein the grip body and the end cap are formed integrally, secured together with an adhesive, or otherwise connected to form the golf club grip. 
     
     
         8 . The golf club grip of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the upper cavity comprises a upper cavity diameter; and   the lip is above the upper cavity, and the lip comprises a lip diameter smaller than the upper cavity diameter to secure the sensor in place.   
     
     
         9 . The golf club grip of  claim 1 , wherein the upper region comprises a plurality of depressions to allow an adhesive to flow around the sensor. 
     
     
         10 . The golf club grip of  claim 9 , wherein the depressions radiate outward from a center of the upper surface. 
     
     
         11 . The golf club grip of  claim 1 , wherein the non-gripping surface can be tapered, rounded, chamfered, or otherwise reshaped. 
     
     
         12 . The golf club grip of  claim 1 , wherein the golf club grip has a longitudinal axis through a geometric center of the golf club grip; wherein the non-gripping surface defines a tangent plane and a taper angle that is measured between the longitudinal axis and the tangent plane, and the taper angle is between 15 degrees and 80 degrees. 
     
     
         13 . The golf club grip of  claim 1 , wherein the end cap has a greater Shore A hardness than the grip body. 
     
     
         14 . The golf club grip of  claim 1 , wherein the golf club grip has a longitudinal axis through a geometric center of the golf club grip; wherein the upper cavity defines a cavity height measured along the longitudinal axis, and wherein the cavity height is between 0.3 inches and 0.4 inches. 
     
     
         15 . The golf club grip of  claim 1 , wherein the end cap further defines a maximum outer diameter, wherein the maximum outer diameter is offset from the grip assembly butt end of the golf club grip by distance between 0.2 inch to 0.8 inch, and the non-gripping surface has a taper from the maximum outer diameter to a minimum outer diameter at the grip assembly butt end. 
     
     
         16 . A method of manufacturing a golf club grip comprising:
 forming an end cap, the end cap comprising an upper region having a plurality of depressions, and a lower region comprising a plug;   forming a grip body, the grip body comprising a first end and a second end;   the first end comprising a socket;   coupling the plug with the socket to form a secure connection between the end cap and the grip body;   inserting a shaft into the grip body and the lower region of the end cap;   securing a sensor within the upper region; and
 wherein the sensor is secured with an adhesive, or through a mechanical means, such as press-fitting. 
   
     
     
         17 . The method of manufacturing of the golf club grip of  claim 16 , wherein the sensor securing step further comprises allowing the adhesive to flow around the sensor via the plurality of depressions.