Pickleball Racket Finger Support Insert

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Non-Provisional Utility Patent Application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/697,622, filed Sep. 23, 2024, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Pickleball is a racket sport that has recently gained tremendous traction recreationally and professionally. The Association of Pickleball Professionals has estimated that 48.3 million Americans have played pickleball in the last year. This growth in popularity has developed into the establishment of three professional leagues, frequently televised nationally on channels such as ESPN, CBS, and FOX Sports. It has been estimated that one such league has spent 32 million dollars on professional player contracts. The stakes have never been higher and these professional athletes seek any competitive edge to slide the percentages of winning in their favor.

Pickleball is played on a traditional acrylic tennis court with smaller dimensions. Players use paddles comprised of two parts: the head used to make contact with the ball and the attached handle to hold the paddle. The primary objective is for one player, by striking the ball once, to make a lightweight plastic ball to bounce on the opposition's court and not come back to the striker's side. Pickleball is an incredibly dynamic game in which the speed and distance the ball travels from player to player may change at any moment throughout a rally. There is much nuance in terms of force applied and technique when playing the ball from far away from your opponents vs closer. A common position involves teams playing as close as 14 feet to each other.

One cause of concern among at least amateur players revolves around handle slippage. When a player swings at the ball, an unpracticed and uncontrolled follow-through, in addition to perspiration from physical exertion, may cause the paddle to leave that player's hand and propel into another person. Furthermore, this health and safety concern may encourage players to grip the paddle's handle tighter, which has been linked to tendinitis, also known as tennis elbow.

SUMMARY

A pickleball racket insert is configured with a base that attaches, such as via adhesive, to a pickleball racket's handle and an extension of the insert and connected to the base provides a finger support surface to the user. The insert may be a single unitary structure with interconnected subparts that provide their own structural advantage and functionality during use. A joint between the upper surfaces of the base and extension includes inclined surfaces to accommodate a user's finger, such as their index finger. Virtually all of the edges of the base, extension, and joint are curved to enhance user comfort during use.

By attaching the insert to the user's pickleball racket, the user has enhanced comfort and performance, and vibration from strikes dampens. Furthermore, the insert minimizes forceful exertion because the user can grip the handle less aggressively. Specifically, the user does not have to grip the handle as hard with all of their fingers because the insert provides a more secure and firm grip from the index finger's pressure, which can also alleviate tennis elbow and hand and forearm fatigue. The insert can also help the user to strike the ball harder, assist with paddle control, and serve as a training aid to assist in developing a proper grip.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1 and 2 show illustrative representations of the pickleball racket insert having a base that connects to a racket's handle and an extension that can support a user's finger;

FIG. 3 shows an illustrative representation in which a bottom surface of the base includes a removable and peelable film to expose an adhesive when a user is ready to attach the insert to their racket's handle;

FIGS. 4 and 5 show additional illustrative representations of the insert from various angles;

FIGS. 6-8 show illustrative representations of the insert and its curved bottom surface and rounded edges for comfort;

FIGS. 9-14 show additional illustrative representations of the insert from various angles;

FIG. 15 shows an illustrative representation of the insert attached to the handle of a pickleball racket; and

FIG. 16 shows an illustrative representation of the insert with the user's finger resting on and engaged with the insert's extension and joint.

Like reference numerals indicate like elements in the drawings. Elements are not drawn to scale unless otherwise indicated.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-14 show various illustrative representations of a pickleball racket insert 105 in which the insert is configured with properties to provide additional support to pickleball players. Typically, the insert may be comprised of one or more of silicone, resin, or a combination thereof; however, other materials are also possible, such as plastic, metal, or other material that is capable of achieving the structure and functions herein. Due to the customized and unique design of the insert 105, multiple angles of the insert have been portrayed throughout the drawings to ensure its mechanical structural properties are captured. Specific figures may be referenced as necessary throughout this disclosure.

The pickleball racket insert 105 includes a base 115 and an extension 110 that extends in a substantially perpendicular direction relative to the base. The insert, in typical implementations, may be a single unitary component that is comprised of multiple sub-parts to effectuate its intended functionalities.

The base 115 includes a bottom surface 120 that can connect or attach to a pickleball racket's handle. For example, referring to FIG. 3, the bottom surface 120 may come with a removable film 305 that covers an adhesive 310 to attach to the pickleball racket. The user removes or peels the film, exposing the adhesive and then attaching the insert to the racket. While adhesive 310 is shown and discussed as one exemplary attachment mechanism herein, other attachment mechanisms may also be deployed, such as a more permanent or semi-permanent mechanism like bolting or screwing the insert to the racket's handle, using a rubber band that ties around the insert and handle, hook-and-loop fasteners, among other attachment mechanisms. If a screw or bolt is used, then a cover that goes over the bolt on the top surface of the base may be used so the user does not need to touch the bolt. Alternatively, the bolt may extend through the handle toward the insert, in which case the bottom surface 120 may come with a pre-drilled threaded bore to receive the screw. In the rubber band example, one or more recesses with sizes and shapes that correspond to the rubber band may be carved or etched into the base's top surface 135. This way, the rubber bands are tucked under a plane of the top surface to reduce user discomfort during use.

The pickleball racket insert's extension 110 is connected to and extends from the base 115. The top surface 130 of the extension 110 is where the user rests their finger, such as their index finger, when the base 115 is attached to the racket, such as via the adhesive 310 on the bottom surface 120. The insert includes a joint 125 in between the base 115 and extension 110 and is the transitional area between the two components. The joint is rounded out to provide enhanced comfort while the user's finger is grasping the extension 110. The joint also provides additional surface area for the user's grip. As shown in at least FIG. 1, the angle of the joint forms a slightly obtuse angle. However, depending on the specific implementation, the configuration of the joint may be a right angle, acute angle, or obtuse angle. Such angled variations may accommodate various users' finger profiles and provide differing benefits during play or training.

Opposing sides of the base's top surface 135 and the joint 125 are smooth inclined surfaces 140 to further accommodate and shape to a user's finger profile. The curved surfaces 140 enable a user to curve their finger's joints and phalanx's about the insert 105, primarily the user's distal phalanx and DIP (distal interphalangeal) joint. Thus, for example, the user's DIP joint may be closer to inclined surface 140 while the user's distal phalanx or finger tip may be extend across to the other side's inclined surface 140.

At least FIGS. 6 and 8 show illustrative representations in which the bottom surface 120 of the base 115 is curved to accommodate and correspond with the shape of a racket's handle. Pickleball racket handles typically form a round or imperfectly round circumference so that the user can grip the handle. The insert has been customized to comport with typical racket handles so that, once the user peels away the film 305 (FIG. 3) to expose the adhesive 310 and then attaches the bottom surface 120 to the racket's handle. While a flat surface may be possible for the insert as well, the curved surface may help enhance contact between the bottom surface and the handle so that increased surface area is utilized, comparable to potentially less surface area with a flat surface that does not accommodate the handle's curvatures.

At least FIGS. 7 and 8 show illustrative representations of the curved edges 705, 805 of the insert 105. The curved surfaces may be present on the edges of the base 115 and extension 110 so to provide enhanced comfort to the user during play.

FIGS. 15 and 16 show illustrative representations in which the pickleball racket insert 105 is attached to a handle 1510 of a user's racket 1505. As shown, the bottom surface 120 of the base 115 of the insert contacts and engages with the racket's handle via, for example, adhesive 310. The extension 110 extends substantially perpendicular to the racket's handle 1510 and the base 115. The extension 110 and joint 125 may be collectively used to contact the user's finger and provide enhanced support for play and training.

Various embodiments are implemented herein. In one exemplary embodiment, implemented is a pickleball racket insert, comprising: a base having an upper surface and a bottom surface, in which the bottom surface includes an attachment mechanism to attach to a pickleball racket's handle; an extension connected to the base, in which the extension extends substantially perpendicular to a direction of the base, and the extension includes an upper surface.

As another example, the attachment mechanism is adhesive, and further comprising a peelable film that covers the adhesive. As another example, the base's bottom surface includes a curvature with a plateau at its center, the curvature aligning with a longitudinal direction of the bottom surface. As a further example, further including a joint where the upper surfaces of the base and extension meet. In another example, the joint includes a curved and smooth slope that gradually transitions the base's upper surface to the extension's upper surface. As another example, the upper surface of the base is inclined toward the joint such that the base's upper surface tapers to a thinner base toward the joint. As another example, the extension's length is shorter than a length of the base. In another example, the edges of the base and extension are rounded to provide comfort and prevent irritation. In another example, the base's bottom surface's curvature extends underneath the extension, such that that base's bottom surface positioning overlaps with the extension's position on the opposite side of the base.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.