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EP-4736967-A1 - PICKLEBALL PADDLE

EP4736967A1EP 4736967 A1EP4736967 A1EP 4736967A1EP-4736967-A1

Abstract

A pickleball paddle comprising a handle defining the longitudinal direction of the pickleball paddle and a core (1) bounded between two parallel striking surfaces (9) and containing pillars (11, 21, 22) provided with at least a portion of rigid material in contact with and extending between the striking surfaces (9), the pillars (11, 21, 22) being arranged in at least one row (10, 20) the direction of which is parallel to the striking surfaces (9), the pillars (11, 21, 22) of a same row (10, 20) being in contact with each other, wherein at least one of every two adjacent pillars (11, 21, 22) of a same row (10, 20) is a centrally widened pillar (11, 21) and comprises a portion equidistant to both striking surfaces (9) whose width (W1, W2) in at least the direction of its row (10, 20) is greater than the rest of the centrally widened pillar (11, 21) itself, so that a pivot edge (111, 211, 212) is defined on at least one side of each centrally widened pillar in contact with another pillar (11, 21, 22).

Inventors

  • GARCIA, FRANCISCO

Assignees

  • Pronexus Dynamics SLU
  • Nox Research, S.L.

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20241029

Claims (15)

  1. Pickleball paddle comprising: - a handle that defines the longitudinal direction of the pickleball paddle, and - a core (1) bounded between two parallel striking surfaces (9) and containing pillars (11, 21, 22) provided with at least one portion of rigid material in contact with and extending between the striking surfaces (9), the pillars (11, 21, 22) being arranged in at least one row (10, 20) the direction of which is parallel to the striking surfaces (9), the pillars (11, 21, 22) of a same row (10, 20) being in contact with each other, characterized in that at least one of every two adjacent pillars (11, 21, 22) of a same row (10, 20) is a centrally widened pillar (11, 21), which comprises a portion equidistant to both striking surfaces (9) whose width (W1, W2) in at least the direction of its row (10, 20) is larger than the rest of the centrally widened pillar (11, 21) itself, so that a pivot edge (111, 211, 212) is defined on at least one side of each centrally widened pillar (11, 21) in contact with another pillar (11, 21, 22).
  2. Pickleball paddle according to claim 1, wherein all pillars of the same row (10) are centrally widened pillars (11) and comprise a pivot edge (111) in contact with the subsequent centrally widened pillar (11) of the same row (10).
  3. Pickleball paddle according to claim 2, wherein at least two rows (10) are spaced apart.
  4. Pickleball paddle according to claim 1, wherein each centrally widened pillar (21, 31, 41) comprises at least two pivot edges (211, 212, 311-314, 411-416), each pivot edge (211, 212, 311-314, 411-416) being located in contact with another pillar (22, 32, 41).
  5. Pickleball paddle according to claim 4, wherein the core (2) comprises more than one row (20) and at least two rows (20) are spaced apart.
  6. Pickleball paddle according to claim 4, wherein the core (3, 4) comprises more than one row (30, 40) in contact with each other and the centrally widened pillars (31, 41) comprise a pivot edge (311-314, 411-416) on each side in contact with another pillar (32, 41).
  7. Pickleball paddle according to claim 6, wherein each centrally widened pillar (31) comprises four pivot edges (311-314) in contact with respective adjacent pillars (32).
  8. Pickleball paddle according to claim 6, wherein each centrally widened pillar (41) comprises six pivot edges (411-416) in contact with respective adjacent pillars.
  9. Pickleball paddle according to claim 6, wherein the centrally widened pillars (31, 41) have a hexagonal cross-section in at least one of their directions parallel to the striking surfaces (9).
  10. Pickleball paddle according to claim 4, wherein all of the pillars are centrally widened pillars (51) and comprise two pivot edges (511, 512) located on opposite sides and are alternately oriented in non-parallel directions.
  11. Pickleball paddle according to claim 10, wherein the centrally widened pillars (51) are rotated 90° with respect to the adjacent centrally widened pillars (51).
  12. Pickleball paddle according to claim 10, wherein the centrally widened pillars (51) have a hexagonal cross-section in at least one of their directions parallel to the striking surfaces (9).
  13. Pickleball paddle according to claim 10, wherein the centrally widened pillars have a convexly rounded cross-section in at least one of their directions parallel to the striking surfaces (9).
  14. Pickleball paddle according to claim 1, wherein at least one centrally widened pillar (31) is shaped like a column whose longitudinal direction extends transversely to the striking surfaces (9) and whose central portion comprises said at least one pivot edge (311-314).
  15. Pickleball paddle according to claim 1, wherein at least one centrally widened pillar (51) comprises a curved rib (510) on at least one side, which includes said pivot edge (511, 512).

Description

The present application concerns a pickleball paddle, in particular, of a type comprising a core consisting of a plurality of parts acting as pillars between the striking surfaces. State of the art Known in the state of the art are pickleball paddles whose core is provided with several rigid pieces adjacent to each other, which maintain the thickness of the core when hitting a ball while giving it greater flexibility, with the intention of bouncing the ball faster and with greater spin when required. For example, US2016193793A1 discloses a pickleball paddle whose core comprises a plurality of rectangular tubes extending between the striking surfaces and defining pillar-like ribs that support the striking surfaces relative to each other. This core configuration may provide some flexibility in the transverse direction of the rectangular tubes compared to single-component cores, but its greatest advantage is its high strength to weight ratio. Document CN220404768U, on the other hand, discloses a pickleball paddle whose core comprises a plurality of impact pieces separated from each other in one or two directions and with sufficient margin to be able to pivot one piece with respect to the other. In particular, the core is provided with two or more impact portions separated from each other in a first direction by gaps, preferably filled with a separating piece made of a flexible material. In turn, each impact portion may be defined by a plurality of rigid components, whether in the form of a polygonal column, cylinder, semi-cylinder, arc or others, the plurality of components also being separated from each other in a second direction. However, the manufacturing process of the present preceding is slower and more costly than that of the preceding described above, due to the fact that the operator must leave corresponding gaps between the plurality of components separated from each other, either by eye or by placing separating pieces. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a pickleball paddle with greater flexibility in the hitting area and at the same time a quick and economical manufacturing process. Description of invention A first object of the present application is a pickleball paddle with a high flexibility in the hitting area and that the manufacturing costs are not compromised. With this in mind, a pickleball paddle has been developed comprising: a handle that defines the longitudinal direction of the pickleball paddle, anda core bounded between two parallel striking surfaces, which may consist of one or more layers of different materials. Inside, the core contains pillars with at least one portion of rigid material in contact with and extending between the striking surfaces, and are thus configured to resist in a incompressible way the forces received in a transverse direction to the striking surfaces when striking a ball with the pickleball paddle. The pillars are arranged in at least one row whose direction is parallel to the striking surfaces, while the pillars of the same row are in contact with each other, and the pillars of different rows may also be in contact with each other, either parallel, transversally and/or obliquely to the longitudinal direction of the paddle. As they are in contact with each other, there are no additional components between the pillars or they do not have to be positioned by eye by the operator, which reduces the material and/or workforce required for the manufacture of the pickleball paddle. Unlike those known on the market, the present pickleball paddle is characterized in that at least one of every two adjacent pillars of a same row is a centrally widened pillar, which comprises a portion equidistant to both striking surfaces whose width is greater than the rest of the centrally widened pillar itself in at least the direction of the same row. In other words, the half-height perimeter of the pillar protrudes with respect to the perimeter of the rest of the pillar itself on at least the side in contact with the adjacent pillar, the height of the pillar being understood as its dimension in the direction perpendicular to the striking surfaces. As this central portion is wider, it defines a pivot edge on at least one of the sides of the centrally widened pillar in contact with the corresponding adjacent pillar. This pivot edge determines an imaginary pivot axis equidistant and parallel to the striking surfaces around which the columns of at least one row can easily pivot without the need to separate the columns from each other. While maintaining the thickness of the core, the centrally widened pillars allow the core of the present pickleball paddle to be very flexible in at least the direction transverse to the rows when receiving the impact of a ball. As a result, the hitting surfaces receive less resistance to deformation by the present core compared to cores with pillars whose walls do not allow them to pivot against each other. The fact that the core and hitting surfaces