Jas D. Easton, Inc.

Easton Sports, Inc.

Easton Aluminum, Inc.

James D. Easton Inc.

Easton Diamond Sports, LLC

Gary W Filice

Dewey Chauvin

James L Easton

Dean E Meyer

Hsing-Yen Chuang

William B Giannetti

Larry E Carlson

Ian Montgomery

Scot Brown Herbst

Roger B Souders

John Buiatti

Charles R Teixeira

Charles Teixeira

A ball bat includes a barrel having one or more integral features for selectively stiffening regions of the barrel. The barrel may include an indented region forming a rib projecting inwardly into the barrel. Alternatively, one or more inwardly projecting lips may be formed on adjoining barrel sections that are bonded, welded, or otherwise attached to each other, such that an integral, internal rib is formed in the barrel. The internal rib stiffens the barrel, thus reducing the barrel's BBCOR. One or more integral ribs may be provided at any desired barrel locations for selectively limiting the barrel's performance without appreciably increasing the moment of inertia of the ball bat. In another embodiment, a joint, to which two barrel sections are bonded, welded, or otherwise attached, includes an inwardly projecting member that stiffens the barrel, thus reducing the barrel's BBCOR.

Ball bat including integral barrel features for reducing BBCOR

A multi-piece ball bat includes a first section including a hitting portion, and a second section including a handle portion. A flexible joint connects the first section to the second section. The flexible joint may be a structural joint, such as a spring member, a mechanical locking joint, or a pneumatic or hydraulic joint, or it may be a non-uniform and/or non-continuous elastomeric joint.

Multi-piece ball bat connected via a flexible joint

A ball catching and delivery head including a frame and a base for a lacrosse stick is provided. In addition to a socket for receiving a handle, the base includes a cavity for receiving a flexible cartridge and also trusses laterally located relative to the base that terminally connect with the frame and the base. The frame is vertically flexible relative to the base and the extent to which the frame is so flexible is dependent upon the cartridge flexibility and compressibility. The trusses prevent lateral movements of the frame relative to the base. Different cartridges made of different materials may be substituted for one another to achieve different flexing characteristics.

Ball catching and delivery frame with variable flex

A frame for a ball catching and delivery head for use in, for example, the sport of lacrosse comprising a frame having a scoop, a base and spaced lateral sidewalls therebetween defining the periphery of a ball receiving and delivery face. Each of the lateral sidewalls includes a flex region which is more elastically compliant and resilient than the remainder of the frame. In one embodiment, the flex regions define regions of the sidewalls comprised of a material which is more flexible than the material comprising the remainder of the frame. In another embodiment, the flex regions are defined by springs incorporated into the sidewalls. In a further embodiment, the flex regions are defined by regions of the sidewalls of reduced height and cross-section. In a further embodiment, the sidewalls comprise separate, pivotable aft and fore frame/sidewall members.

Ball catching and delivery frame with variable flex sidewalls

A head of a lacrosse stick including a frame defining a back stop wall at one end, a scoop wall at an opposite end and side walls therebetween. A plurality of fingers are spaced along the interior face of the back wall and side walls respectively. Each of the fingers protrude outwardly from the interior face of the back wall and side walls respectively and include an outer sloped surface adapted to guide and direct a lacrosse ball into the pocket of the head. Each of the fingers also include a lower sloped shoulder adapted to hold the lacrosse ball in the head and guide and direct the ball between the back wall and the scoop wall. In one embodiment, the length of the fingers increases between the back wall and the side walls to define a pocket for the ball and then decreases along the side walls in the direction of the scoop wall to define a ball ramp.

Lacrosse stick head with ball guidance and control fingers

A handle for sports equipment such as a lacrosse or hockey stick including cushioning and grip ribs. In one embodiment, the shaft of the handle defines one or more regions of reduced diameter or thickness such as, in one embodiment, a plurality of elongate longitudinal grooves extending around the periphery thereof in spaced-apart relationship. Interior cushioning ribs are defined in the region of the grooves by a layer of cover or coating material which is applied to the surface of the shaft and fills the grooves. In another embodiment, the shaft includes tapered regions in the shaft and the layer of cover or coating material fills the tapered regions to define cushioning ribs.

Sports equipment handle with cushion and grip ribs

A thin wall tubular bat, particularly for softball, has a constant barrel diameter and an internal tubular insert spaced from the barrel with a shear stress transmitting elastomeric layer sandwiched between the barrel and insert so that the insert reinforces the barrel to reduce denting which would otherwise occur as the elastomer efficiently transfers stress to the insert and stores and releases energy during impact of the bat with a ball.

Rigid shell layered softball bat with elastomer layer

Ball bat

A governed performance hard shell bat designed to ensure ball exit speed approximating and not exceeding that of a wood bat of comparable weight and geometry is comprised of a thin wall hard shell such as reinforced resin composite or of metal such as aluminum or titanium or alloys thereof filled with light weight semi-rigid material such as a syntactic foam in the hitting area, the bat having longitudinal flexibility approximating that of a similarly shaped wood bat. The filler material has a sectional density and hardness correlated with the thickness of the metal shell wall in the hitting area and may be cast in the thin wall hard shell or it may be pre-formed and subsequently inserted into the shell. The filler has a sectional density in the range of from 10-30 lbs./cu. ft.

Governed performance hard shell bat

A flexible skate boot having lower and upper portions made of leather, synthetic leather or similar material is provided with a flexible ankle encircling cuff made of synthetic moldable plastic material capable flexing designed in amounts in the forward and aft and lateral directions to act as an energy storage and release device and without wrinkling so as to minimize discomfort and abrasion on the user's ankle and extend the useful life of the boot. The tongue portion of the boot has a similar molded synthetic flexible panel separating the upper and lower sections of the tongue, the tongue panel being aligned with the flexible ankle encircling cuff which separates the upper and lower parts of the boot from each other. The parts are designed to essentially lock the tongue in the desired frontal position to prevent tongue migration from the desired frontal position during skating. The foot confining portion of the boot can be hand formed of leather on a last for custom fit so that the boot can be used with minimal break in.

Controlled flex skate boot

A governed performance metal shell bat designed to ensure ball exit speed approximating and not exceeding that of a wood bat of comparable weight and geometry is comprised of a thin wall metal shell filled such as aluminum or titanium or alloys thereof with light weight semi-rigid material such as a syntactic foam in the hitting area, the bat having longitudinal flexibility approximating that of a similarly shaped wood bat and the filler material having a density and hardness correlated with the thickness of the metal shell wall in the hitting area.

Governed performance metal shell bat

A governed performance aluminum shell bat designed to ensure ball exit speed approximating and not exceeding that of a wood bat of comparable weight and geometry is comprised of a thin wall aluminum shell filled with syntactic foam in the hitting area, the foam having a density and hardness correlated with the thickness of the bat wall in the hitting area.

Governed performance aluminum shell bat

A light weight high strength bicycle seat post comprised of a metal tube having a pre-stressed, tubular composite core therein, with the core having an exposed end extending from the tube, and method making same are disclosed in which the tube includes a composite core compressively engaged with the interior of the metal tube. The composite core is compressively restrained inside the metal tube by compressive stresses in the order of not less than about twenty thousand pounds per square inch. The composite core is formed of a plurality of layers of carbon fibers in a triaxial arrangement. The method of making the bicycle seat post consists of inserting an uncured composite core into a metal tube and expanding the core into engagement with the metal tube under heat and pressure to cure the composite and establish a light weight high strength bicycle seat post. Accordingly, the article is particularly useful as a bicycle seat post that possess strength, rigidity, and light weight.

Exposed carbon core bicycle seat post and method of manufacture thereof

The bat of the present invention has a barrel with a thinner outer shell in compressive and/or adhesive engagement with an insert laminate comprised of one or more pieces of a thin metallic (preferably titanium) sheet (or foil) and one or more sheets of a composite material. The titanium portion of the insert laminate may be on the inner-most portion of the insert, may be on the outer-most portion of the laminate, or may be in the interior of the laminate (that is, with one or more sheets of composite material on either side of it). Alternatively, the bat may simply be provided with only a titanium insert. In yet another set of embodiments, the titanium sheet may be replaced by another suitable metallic sheet. In all embodiments, the reinforcing sleeve allows the barrel portion to deflect farther when impacted by an object such as a ball without detrimental yielding (denting) and increases the rate of return of the barrel wall.

Growing community of inventors

Van Nuys, CA, United States of America

Gary W Filice