Spalding & Evenflo Companies, Inc.

Richard Janes

A tennis racket comprising a frame formed of a pair of tubes attached together throughout the majority of the bow and then separated in the throat-beams for at least a portion of their extents; a yoke attached to the tubes adjacent to the ends of the throat-beams to form, in association with the portions of the tube, an essentially oval-shaped bow, the periphery of the bow having spaced holes therethrough; a single groove formed around the entire external periphery of the bow; a continuous grommet strip positioned within the groove and extending through the openings in the throat-beams and around the entire external periphery of the bow, the grommet strip being provided with spaced holes aligned with the holes of the bow; a bumper strip positioned under a portion of the grommet strip including the tip, the bumper strip being provided with spaced holes aligned with the holes of both the bow and the grommet strip, the holes of the bumper strip, grommet strip and bow being perpendicular to the tangent of the inner head arc and outer head arc of the frame; strings extending through the holes of the bumper strip, grommet strip and bow to form a planar ball-striking surface across the bow; a pallet surrounding the frame at the handle; and a grip surrounding the pallet at the handle for being grasped by a player.

Tennis racket with split frame

A tennis racket having a graphite fiber containing frame with an opening at the head end constituting a bow and with a handle pallet at the handle end. The handle pallet is formed of a soft, dense, indexable urethane. The bow is formed with a common cross-sectional configuration enlarged in the direction of the axis of the opening and located around the majority of the opening. The racket also includes a grommet strip formed of a soft, durable, wear resistant polyurethane-polycarbonate blend secured to the radially exterior edge of the bow around the majority of the opening.

Tennis racket

A midsize tennis racket is disclosed which utilizes two arcuate bridges, inverted with respect to the arc of the head of the racket, and includes grommets at opposite ends of the head in order to shorten the length of the center main string so as to provide more uniform power response in the central hitting area. A selected number of the center main strings are crisscrossed between the arcuate bridges and their support locations on the frame. The construction provides the playability of a small headed racket while maintaining the stability of a large headed racket. Further embodiments are disclosed which effectively shorten the length of the main strings by effectively creating two arcuate bridges. In one embodiment, the arcuate bridges are formed by elongated projections which have boreholes at their distal ends. In a further embodiment, inelastic loops are used to form the arcuate bridges. In a still further embodiment, U-shaped members are used with arms extending through the head, with the distal arms of the head being secured to the outer circumferential surface of the head.

Double inverted bridge tennis racket

A dampening mechanism for sports implements such as tennis rackets comprising an elongated vibratable member formed of an elastomeric, energy absorbing material. The vibrational member is integral with a grommet strip which mates with the underside of the yoke of the racket and the string holes therethrough. The unit is held firmly to the frame, with the vibrational member fixed within the throat of the frame below the yoke, by the strings when the racket is strung.

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Belchertown, MA, United States of America

Richard Janes