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EP-4735128-A1 - 3-DIMENSIONAL PRINTED SPORTING IMPLEMENT AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE THEREOF

EP4735128A1EP 4735128 A1EP4735128 A1EP 4735128A1EP-4735128-A1

Abstract

A sporting implement for use in playing a sport includes a frame assembly defining a structural frame of the sporting element in which the structural frame is formed of a customizable 3-dimensional printed structure. In the instance of an implement with a shaft and a tool at one end of the shaft such as the blade at the end of a hockey stick, the shaft may be formed as a lattice frame with a feature of the lattice varying as a gradient along a length of the shaft. A filament wrap with optionally varying characteristics or plastic inserts may also be provided about the lattice frame to further customize the performance of the implement.

Inventors

  • WEBER, TORY
  • LEMIEUX, ERIC
  • CHAMBERT, MARTIN
  • CHIASSON, MICHEL
  • BOISVERT-VALENCIA, Mariane

Assignees

  • Vanquish Hockey Limited

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20240628

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . A sporting implement comprising: a shaft arranged to be gripped by a user; and a sporting tool formed at one end of the shaft; wherein at least the shaft is formed of a customizable 3-dimensional printed structure.
  2. 2. The sporting implement according to claim 1 wherein the 3-dimensional printed structure includes a 3-dimensional lattice structure forming the shaft, wherein exterior boundary walls of the shaft are defined by the lattice structure such that the lattice structure remains exposed at the boundary walls along a length of the shaft.
  3. 3. The sporting implement according to claim 2 wherein a cross sectional shape of the shaft is rectangular so as to define four corner edges and wherein the 3- dimensional lattice structure includes a corner member spanning continuously along the length of the shaft at each of the four corner edges.
  4. 4. The sporting implement according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein at least one size attribute of the lattice structure varies gradually along a gradient portion of the length of the shaft.
  5. 5. The sporting implement according to any one of claims 1 through 4 wherein the 3-dimensional printed structure includes a 3-dimensional lattice structure forming boundary walls of the sporting tool.
  6. 6. The sporting implement according to any one of claims 1 through 5 wherein the 3-dimensional printed structure is formed of metal or composite.
  7. 7. The sporting implement according to any one of claims 1 through 5 wherein the 3-dimensional printed structure comprises para-aramid fibers.
  8. 8. The sporting implement according to any one of claims 1 through 7 wherein the shaft comprises boundary walls forming an outer tube extending in a longitudinal direction along a length of the shaft and a plurality of stiffener flanges protruding inwardly from the boundary walls partway across a hollow interior of the outer tube.
  9. 9. The sporting implement according to claim 8 wherein the stiffener flanges are oriented transversely to the longitudinal direction and are arranged in a repeating array pattern along the length of the shaft.
  10. 10. The sporting implement according to any one of claims 1 through 9 wherein the shaft comprises boundary walls forming an outer tube extending in a longitudinal direction along a length of the shaft and a plurality of dimples formed by the 3-dimensional printed structure in a grid pattern within the boundary walls to protrude inwardly into a hollow interior of the outer tube.
  11. 11. The sporting implement according to any one of claims 1 through 10 wherein the shaft comprises boundary walls forming an outer tube extending in a longitudinal direction along a length of the shaft and a plurality of openings formed by the 3-dimensional printed structure in a grid pattern within the boundary walls.
  12. 12. The sporting implement according to claim 11 further comprising a plurality of stiffener flanges protruding inwardly from the boundary walls, wherein at least some of the stiffener flanges comprise annular flanges in which each annular flange surrounds a respective one of the openings in the boundary walls of the shaft to protrude inwardly from an inner surface of the boundary walls.
  13. 13. The sporting implement according to any one of claims 1 through 12 wherein the sporting implement is a hockey stick and the sporting tool is a blade comprising a front face, a rear face, and a plurality of openings formed by the 3-dimensional printed structure so as to extend through the blade between the front face and the rear face in a grid pattern.
  14. 14. The sporting implement according to any one of claims 1 through 13 wherein the 3-dimensional printed structure defines boundary walls of the shaft forming an outer tube extending in a longitudinal direction along a length of the shaft, each boundary wall comprising: (i) a plurality of structural nodes arranged in a 2-dimensional array; and (ii) a plurality of struts extending in a direction of the 2-dimensional array and being interconnected between respective pairs of the structural nodes of the 2-dimensional array; wherein at least some of the struts comprises overlapping struts that each overlap transversely across a different corresponding one of the overlapping struts so as to allow relative movement between the overlapping struts.
  15. 15. The sporting implement according to claim 14 wherein the structural nodes are arranged in a rectangular grid pattern so as to be spaced apart from one another along first and second axes of the rectangular grid pattern, and wherein each structural node is connected with four rectangularly adjacent nodes among said structural nodes by four Cartesian struts among the struts in which the cartesian struts extending along the first or second axes, and wherein each structural node is further connected with four diagonally adjacent nodes among said structural nodes by four of the overlapping struts.
  16. 16. The sporting implement according to claim 14 or claim 15 wherein there is a gap extending perpendicularly to the direction of the 2-dimensional array between each overlapping strut and the corresponding overlapping strut.
  17. 17. The sporting implement according to any one of claims 1 through 16 wherein the sporting implement is a hockey stick and the sporting tool is a blade, and wherein the 3-dimensional printed structure comprises (i) a first printed structure including the blade and a first shaft section forming a first lengthwise portion of the shaft, and (ii) a second printed structure including a second shaft section forming a second lengthwise portion of the shaft, the first and second structures being arranged for mating connection with one another to define the sporting implement.
  18. 18. The sporting implement according to claim 17 wherein one of the first printed structure and the second printed structure comprises a male connector formed thereon as part of the 3-dimensional printed structure and another one of the first printed structure and the second printed structure comprises a female connector formed thereon as part of the 3-dimensional printed structure, the male connector and the female connector forming said mating connection.
  19. 19. The sporting implement according to claim 18 wherein a perimeter groove is formed to extend at least partway about a circumferent of the shaft at a junction between the first and second printed sections when the first and second printed sections are joined in abutment with one another, and wherein the perimeter groove is filled with a weld material which is identical to a material of the first and second printed sections so as to immovably fix the first and second printed sections relative to one another.
  20. 20. The sporting implement according to any one of claims 1 through 19 wherein the shaft of the 3-dimensional printed structure includes an outer boundary surface and grooves integrally formed therein which are recessed relative to the outer boundary surface and which define indicia representing letters or numbers.

Description

3-DIMENSIONAL PRINTED SPORTING IMPLEMENT AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE THEREOF FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to sporting implements, for example hockey sticks, skates and protective equipment, and more particularly, the present invention relates to sporting implements formed by 3-dimensional printing, otherwise known as additive manufacturing, and including lattice structures to enable customization of various structures and performance parameters of the sporting implements. BACKGROUND In the design of sporting implements, it is desirable for various playing equipment such as hockey sticks, tennis rackets, bicycle frames, etc. and protective equipment such as helmets, guards and the like to be designed with minimal weight while retaining sufficient strength to maximize performance. One common construction used in sporting implements includes the use of fibre and resin composite materials together with polymer foam materials to occupy interior cavities. The performance of such equipment is limited to the performance characteristics of the materials used. United States Patent No. 9,925,440 by Bauer Hockey Inc. discloses a sporting good implement, such as a hockey stick or ball bat, that includes a main body. The main body may be formed from multiple layers of a structural material, such as a fiber-reinforced composite material. One or more microlattice structures may be positioned between layers of the structural material. One or more microlattice structures may additionally or alternatively be used to form the core of a sporting good implement, such as a hockey-stick blade. The microlattice structures can improve the performance, strength, or feel of the sporting good implement; however, the combination of structures used results in a complex manufacturing process involving numerous steps and diverse labor skills. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a sporting implement for use in playing a sport, the sporting implement comprising: a frame assembly defining a structural frame of the sporting element; wherein the structural frame is formed of a customizable 3-dimensional printed structure. For example, the frame assembly may define the structural frame of a hockey stick, a cricket bat a, a baseball bat, a golf club, a tennis racket, a bicycle chassis, and the like. By forming the structural frame as a uniform 3-dimensional printed structure, the entire frame can be manufactured in a single process, while being highly customizable without any substantial increase in complexity to the manufacturing process. According to a second aspect there is provided a method of manufacturing the sporting implement described above comprising: receiving one or more user selections relating to a configuration of the sporting element; modifying 3-dimensional printing instructions according to the one or more user selections relating to the configuration of the sporting implement; and printing the 3-dimensional printed structure according to the modified 3- dimensional printing instructions. According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a hockey stick comprising: a shaft arranged to be gripped by a user; and a blade extending transversely from one end of the shaft; wherein the shaft and the blade are formed of a customizable 3-dimensional printed structure. According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of manufacturing the hockey stick described above, the method comprising: receiving one or more user selections relating to a configuration of the hockey stick; modifying 3-dimensional printing instructions according to the one or more user selections relating to the configuration of the hockey stick; and printing the 3-dimensional printed structure according to the modified 3- dimensional printing instructions. The implement may include the 3-dimensional printed structure forming the shaft, wherein exterior boundary walls of the shaft are defined by the lattice structure such that the lattice structure remains exposed at the boundary walls along a length of the shaft. When a cross sectional shape of the shaft is rectangular so as to define four corner edges, the 3-dimensional lattice structure may include a corner member spanning continuously along the length of the shaft at each of the four corner edges. Preferably at least one size attribute of the lattice structure varies gradually along a gradient portion of the length of the shaft. The 3-dimensional printed structure may include a 3-dimensional lattice structure forming boundary walls of the sporting tool. The 3-dimensional printed structure may be formed of metal or composite, and may comprises para-aramid fibers. When the shaft comprises boundary walls forming an outer tube extending in a longitudinal direction along a length of the shaft, stiffener flanges may protrude inwardly from the boundary walls partway across a hollow interior of the oute