US2513655A - Handle grip - Google Patents

Description

Patented July 4, 1950 Elver Lamkin and Joseph HSLaiiikimiChicagb, Ill.,.. assignors ,to., Lamkin Leather.;.Co1i1pany,

Chicago, 111., a corporation fIllin'ois Application March 9, 19 i'8, 4'

3 claims. (01. ave-s1) 1 V This invention relates in general to a grip for golf clubs, rackets, and the like, and is more particularly described as a modified surfacing of leather spirally wrapped around and secured to a handle with the lateral edges forming butt joints.

An important object of the invention is to provide a firm grip with an inwardly turned groove at the butt joints and with pleasantly yielding surfaces between the joints affording an improved security of the manual engagement or holdon the grip. H Further objects of theinvent'ion are torprovide butt edges turned. inwardly. so that they are not easily turned. up. or; puckered by. con:

tinued use; an improved cushioning elfect is obtained between the butt edges.;.fand. aniimproved appearance of, the grip is provided Without sacrificin anything in themanner of applying a grip of this kind to a handle.

Other objects of the invention will appearin the specification and will be apparent from the accompanying drawings in hich,.

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a golf club handle to which the grip of this invention is ppl Fig. 2 is aperspective view showing a portion of the grip partially wrapped upon a handle;

Fig. 3 is a cross section of one margin of the strip showing how itis skived on the bottom be-- fore burnishing;

Fig. 4 is a cross section of a grip. as taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2 as it is applied to a'handle; Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view as taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2; and

Fig, 6.15 an,en1ar ged fragmentary sectional view of a grip curved andwiththe slitsopen as they would be in application of the grip to a handle.

Most golf clubs fiaradutwardly at the top .BIld 40 of the shaft, asthis taperconiorms to the gripping of the hands in providing a proper and comfortable grasp or hold of the club and also to avoid possible slipping. This flaringat the top where the grip is started in winding it has under tension and the edges are butted together 2 M as closely and neati as-p ssible. After the grip isstarted at the "top' of theshaft, a little glue is brushed on at intervals as the strip is wound down the shaft, 1 I 1 The grip ispulled' and 'l'aid on'under tension ;in"order"to takeout"whateyerstretch' there may bein the 'l'iandlejfor if this is not down, the

grip loosen in a short period of time. After the gripped' 'portion of the shaft is held on a flat surface and rolled with a heavy metalironer to'r'iiake sure theentire.leather'area is pressed tightly-against the under listing. This is an insurance-that the entire leather. substance conforms to the flaring and cylindrical shape of the-shafta'nd will not. pucker at any spot where tension maylhave'ibeen lost.

3 Referring now more particularly to the draw- '-ings','thelgrip is axlong'strip 8 of leather of uni- 0 form width, .adapted .to be wrapped spirally abouttheshaft of a golf club tov forma handle, or about thehalndle portionsof rackets, and the like, I'to provide' a manually, engageable surface. The .:strip,- 8." is0riginally .cut With its side edges, parallel and. at right. angles to, its top surface 'Ill and itsbottomisurfacel l2, the thickness of the leather beingsubsta'ntially.uniform. flfhe margins are, angularly skiyed to form a tapered edge I.4 ,'.at ,each 1.nder sideof the strip.

.The, ,skivedj and ,tapered. edges, are burnished subjectingthe .Qutermargin of,, the skiving to a searing heat ,whichjcauses the I top grain v or, outer surface. L0 .ofsthe .le he ,.to. curl opp si y at the'edge .lfitoward the bottom side and, down to thaplanao lthe g ttom s ace 1. 1 While t -.app .ied.prim .att e e e, it is applied,.wi hsdimiaishiris .efie t o. th b o su ce inwardlrifrom the d t s i sby contractin the ls ve. ..and. taper d "p '4 down intq hapla e 2f. he sitt m. su a q in elfect, the bevling is transposed into the curved 1r o'r ...--...;l-24.- r.

is snags? iib .S R ih r ip y be id s. by pre sure-P t esn. amarq atel f m re lersap l ed. as wit .that risl i on. 2.; $9 2 35. e P1211311. .surfiace bein smooth, but the roller engaging the bottom or under surface having annular grooves which produce corresponding grooves [8 extending lengthwise along the margins of the strip in the bottom surface only. One purpose of these grooves is to serrate the edge surface so that an adhesive applied thereto will attach the grip more firmly along the margins.

Extending the full length of the strip are parallel transverse cuts or slits 20 which extend only partway through the material from the upper surface thereof and which terminate before the tapered and rounded edges of the grip so that cuts do not extend into or weaken the edge portions. These cuts are close together and uniform in depth and they provide a yielding portion between the curled edges of the grip,

In spirally wrapping the grips'upon the handles, they are subjected to considerable longitudinal tension. If the material has non-elastic soft spots with low tensile strength, they may be permanently stretched out of shape which makes it difiicult to wrap the strips with "accurate abutment. The marginal burnishing of this invention overcomes this objection by the contractive eiiect of the burnishing and also by .lowing the butt joint, and the outer surface of the strip having parallel transverse slits extendingonly partially through the strip and terminatl5- ing at a distance from the edge at each side of the strip.

the firming and hardening of the margins which deprives the soft spots of their tendency to stretch by strengthening the margins.

When this grip'is applied and secured adhesively, it does not tend to come loose at the margins because of the inwardly turned edges which have a bead-like roundness, tendingto make them slide over each other into proper abutting relation during the wrapping operation. The grooves formed by the curved edges 16 add materially to the engagement of a players hands upon the club with no sharp edges extending .upwardly or to irritate the hands. The-downwardly curled edges tend to form a noticeable hardness between the edges were it not for the provision of the cushioning cuts or slits extending throughout the entire grip exceptat the edges. These slits are not sufficiently deep or close together to provide tongues or portions of material which tend to become loose or disengaged from the grip, and the slits are not sufliciently wide so that they tend to afiord a space for the deflection of the slit portions, but because the slits are numerous and close together and spread apart more at the surface when wrapped about a, handle as shown in Fig. 6, they do provide a yielding and resilient effect which causes the hands and fingers of a player to adhere closely thereto, giving him the feeling th'at he has a firm graspv of the club so that it does tend to turn readily in the hand when a golf ball is engaged by the club.

With this construction, anew and improved grip is provided which does not differ objectionably in appearance from other conventional grips. The appearance of the surface resulting from transverse slits is like the texture of a material and combined with the inwardly grooved edges.

The grip is actually pleasing and desirable in addition to the above mentioned quality of affording better manual contact and engagement. Whilethis grip has been particularly described as applied to a golf club, the same advantages are obtained in applying the grip to playing rackets for various games. The construction may also be applied to handles of implements or-forany other use where a manual grip is desirable.

While the preferred construction has been described in some detail, it should be regarded by way of illustration and example rather than a 2. A handle grip for golf clubs, rackets, and the like, comprising a strip of leather wrapped spirally around the handle with lateral edges in butt joint relation, the marginal edges being tapered'at the under sides and curled inwardly at the outer surface to provide a spiral groove following the butt joint and the outer surface of the strip having parallel transverse slits extending only partially through the strip and terminating at distance from the edge at each side of the strip and the transverse slits being opened more at the outer edges when applied to the curved surface of a handle to provide a yielding andresilient gripping effect.

3. A handle grip for golf clubs, rackets, and the like, comprising a strip of leather wrapped spirally about the handle with lateral edges in butt joint relation, the marginal edges being tapered at the under sides and curled inwardly at the outer surface to provide a spiral groove following the butt joint, the outer surface of the strip having parallel transverse slits extending only partially through the strip and terminating at a distance from the edge at each side of the strip, and the under surface of the strip having parallel longitudinal serrated grooves at the edges only beyond the ends of the transverse slits to receive an adhesive which will attach the grip more firmly along the margins when applied to a handle.

ELVER. B. LAMKIN.

JOSEPH H. LAMKIN.

REFERENCES CITED 'uNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Oct. 15, 1931

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