LACROSSE HEAD

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/717,709, filed Nov. 7, 2024, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

FIELD

Disclosed embodiments generally relate to lacrosse heads, and more specifically relate to lacrosse heads having asymmetric flexure profiles and related methods of use.

BACKGROUND

Lacrosse heads typically include a base portion configured to engage a lacrosse stick shaft and a scoop portion positioned distally relative to the base portion. The base portion may be connected to the scoop portion using one or more sidewalls. In conventional lacrosse heads, the heads are typically constructed to be of a symmetrical shape having a symmetrical flexure profile.

SUMMARY

According to some embodiments, a lacrosse head having a base portion and a scoop portion positioned opposite to one another is provided. The lacrosse head may include a first sidewall and a second sidewall positioned opposite to one another, where each of the first and second sidewalls extend between the base portion and the scoop portion to connect the base and scoop portions. Each of the first and second sidewalls may include an upper rail, a lower rail, and one or more struts extending between the upper and lower rails. In some embodiments, at least one of the one or more struts of the first sidewall may be constructed and arranged to have a greater degree of flexure than at least one of the one or more struts of the second sidewall.

According to some embodiments, a lacrosse head having a base portion and a scoop portion positioned opposite to one another is provided. The lacrosse head may include a first sidewall and a second sidewall positioned opposite to one another, where each of the first and second sidewalls extend between the base portion and the scoop portion to connect the base and scoop portions. Each of the first and second sidewalls may include an upper rail, a lower rail, and one or more struts extending between the upper and lower rails. In some embodiments, the lower rail of the first sidewall may be configured to deflect at a greater distance than the lower rail of the second sidewall in response to a contact force applied to the lower rails of the respective first and second sidewalls.

It should be appreciated that the foregoing concepts, and additional concepts discussed below, may be arranged in any suitable combination, as the present disclosure is not limited in this respect. Further, other advantages and novel features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of various non-limiting embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures may be represented by a like numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top view of a lacrosse head, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a front right perspective view of the lacrosse head of FIG. 1, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 3 is a front left perspective view of the lacrosse head of FIG. 1, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 4A is a rear right perspective view of the lacrosse head of FIG. 1, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 4B is an enlarged perspective view of region 4B of FIG. 4A, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 5 is a rear left perspective view of the lacrosse head of FIG. 1, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of the lacrosse head of FIG. 1 being subjected to an applied force, according to some embodiments; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a portion of the lacrosse head of FIG. 1 being subjected to an applied force, according to some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Conventional lacrosse heads typically include a base portion configured to engage a lacrosse stick shaft, a scoop portion configured to be positioned distally relative to the base, and sidewalls configured to connect the base portion to the scoop portion. A mesh may then be secured to the lacrosse head for receiving and cradling a lacrosse ball during play. During a game of lacrosse, players may partake in a “face-off” event, where two opposing players may contest one another to obtain possession of the ball. In particular, during a face-off, the opposing players may align their lacrosse heads adjacent to the ball on the ground while awaiting a signal from a referee to battle for the possession of the ball, and upon receipt of the signal the players will attempt to “clamp” the ball (or otherwise secure the ball) to obtain possession before their opponent. The term clamping as used herein may refer to the positioning of the lacrosse head and/or mesh against the ball during a face off to block access to the ball from the opponent while allowing the player to rake the ball in their direction to obtain possession. Accordingly, during a face-off event, it is important for players to quickly secure the ball before the opposing player may have the opportunity to do so. To reduce the time required to clamp the ball, players may attempt to prematurely flex their lacrosse heads (e.g., by pressing the lacrosse head against the ground) to better position their lacrosse heads prior to the signal from the referee.

The inventors have appreciated that conventional lacrosse heads have a symmetrical flexure profile that limits the player's ability to flex their lacrosse head for a face-off. That is, conventional lacrosse heads have a symmetrical shape and are typically constructed out of a uniform material composition such that these lacrosse heads do not have asymmetrical flexure profiles.

In view of the above, the inventors have recognized benefits associated with a lacrosse head that provides an asymmetrical flexure profile in response to an applied force on the lacrosse head (e.g., a contact force from pressing the head against the ground). The inventors have found that such a configuration may improve the ability of the lacrosse head to flex towards the ball during face-off to allow for a player to more quickly clamp and secure the ball.

In some embodiments, a lacrosse head may include a base portion configured to engage a lacrosse stick shaft, a scoop portion positioned distally relative to the base, and first and second sidewalls connecting the base portion to the scoop portion, as disclosed herein. In some such embodiments, the first and second sidewalls may each include an upper rail, a lower rail opposing the upper rail, and one or more struts extending between and connecting the upper and lower rails. To provide an asymmetric flexure profile in the lacrosse head, the inventors have appreciated that at least one of the one or more struts of the first sidewall may be constructed and arranged to have a different degree of flexure than at least one of the one or more struts of the second sidewall. For example, the struts on the first sidewall may be constructed to have a greater degree of flexure than the opposing struts on the second sidewall. As a result, the struts on first sidewall may be configured to flex more in response to a contact force, e.g., when a lacrosse player flexes the head of their stick against the ground to better position themselves for a face-off. In addition, as the struts connect the upper and lower rails of the respective sidewalls, this increased flexure of the struts may cause increased deflection of the upper and/or lower rails. For example, as the player presses the lower rail of the first sidewall against the ground, the flexing of the struts may cause the upper and lower rails to deflect inwardly such that a distance between the upper and lower rails decreases. This may allow for the upper rail to be positioned closer to the ball when the lower rail is pressed against the ground, which may decrease the time needed by a player to clamp and secure the ball.

Turning to the figures, specific non-limiting embodiments are described in further detail. It should be understood that the various systems, components, features, and methods described relative to these embodiments may be used either individually and/or in any desired combination as the disclosure is not limited to only the specific embodiments described herein.

FIGS. 1-5 show various views of a lacrosse head 100 having an asymmetric flexure profile.

FIG. 1 shows a top view of the lacrosse head 100. As shown in FIG. 1, the lacrosse head may include a base portion 110 and a scoop portion 120 positioned opposite and distal to the base portion 110. The lacrosse head may also include a first sidewall 130 and a second sidewall 150 positioned opposite to one another, and the sidewalls 130, 150 may connect the base portion 110 and the scoop portion 120. The base portion 110, scoop portion 120, and sidewalls 130, 150 may be constructed to be of any suitable shape, size, material, or other characteristic as the disclosure is not so limited. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the sidewalls 130, 150 may generally have a curved shape such that a distal portion of the sidewalls (e.g., closer to scoop portion 120) may curve outwardly relative to a proximal portion of the sidewalls (e.g., closer to base portion 110). As another example, the scoop portion 120 may include an angled surface (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 2-3) to facilitate scooping of the ball during play.

An imaginary longitudinal axis 180 may extend between the base portion and the scoop portion and an imaginary transverse axis 182 may extend between the first and second sidewalls. Collectively, the longitudinal axis 180 and transverse axis 182 may define an imaginary plane intersecting each of the base portion 110, the scoop portion 120, and the first and second sidewalls 130, 150. As will be discussed in greater detail below, the sidewalls of the lacrosse head may be configured to flex about the longitudinal axis and/or the transverse axis in response a contact force applied to the sidewalls. More specifically, the first and second sidewalls may flex differently from one another due to one or more struts of the sidewalls having an asymmetric flexure profile.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show front right and front left perspective views of the lacrosse head 100, respectively. The base portion 110 may include an opening 112 configured to receive a lacrosse stick shaft to couple the head and the corresponding stick. The base portion 110 may also include a ball stop surface 114 configured to contact and prevent dislodgement of a ball when the ball is received in the lacrosse head (e.g., within a mesh of the head). In some embodiments, the opening 112 may be plugged such that the opening 112 is not exposed from the side adjacent to the sidewalls 130, 150. The opening being plugged may also serve to dampen contact between a ball and the ball stop surface 114 (e.g., when a ball is caught by a player in the lacrosse head).

The lacrosse head 100 may also include a plurality of mounting holes 138, 158 formed in the first sidewall 130, the second sidewall 150, the base portion 110, and/or the scoop portion 120. These mounting holes may receive strands of a mesh for securing the mesh to the head so that the mesh may receive a corresponding lacrosse ball. The mesh may be secured to the mounting holes in any suitable fashion (e.g., using fasteners, by forming knots in the mesh strands to prevent disengagement, or any other suitable engagement method). Any suitable mesh type may be used with the embodiments disclosed herein including, but not limited to, molded meshes, 3D printed meshes, knit meshes, or any other suitable type of mesh. The mesh may also be constructed from any suitable material such as polyester or nylon.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first sidewall 130 may include an upper rail 132, a lower rail 134, and a plurality of struts 140, 142, 144 extending between and connecting the upper and lower rails 132, 134. Due to the positioning of the struts, one or more openings 136 may be formed between the struts 140, 142, 144 and the upper and lower rails 132, 134. Likewise, the second sidewall 150 may include an upper rail 152, a lower rail 154, and a plurality of struts 160, 162, 164 extending between and connecting the upper and lower rails 152, 154. One or more openings 156 may be similarly formed between the struts 160, 162, 164 and the upper and lower rails 152, 154. The one or more openings of each of the first and second sidewalls may be constructed and arranged such that the upper and lower rails are only connected to one another through the one or more struts of a given sidewall, the base portion, and the scoop portion. In some embodiments, the upper and lower rails of the first and/or second sidewalls may converge together prior to connecting to the base portion and/or the scoop portion (i.e., the upper and lower rails may converge along a length of the first and/or second sidewalls). In other embodiments, however, the upper and lower rails of the first and/or second sidewalls may converge by connecting directly to the base portion and/or the scoop portion.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, strut 140 of the first sidewall may be formed to be asymmetric relative to opposing strut 160 of the second sidewall. In this fashion, strut 140 may be constructed to have a different degree of flexure relative to strut 160, which may result in a difference in flexibility between sidewalls 130, 150. For example, strut 140 may be constructed to have a greater degree of flexure than strut 160 such that sidewall 130 may be more prone to bending in response to a contact force (e.g., when a player presses the sidewall against the ground for a face-off). Although only strut 140 is shown to be asymmetric in FIGS. 2 and 3, in some embodiments struts 142 and 144 may also be constructed in the same fashion as strut 140 such that each of struts 140, 142, and 144 are asymmetric relative to their corresponding opposing struts 160, 162, 164. In some embodiments, a configuration in which the one or more struts of the first sidewall 130 have a greater degree of flexure than the struts of the second sidewall 150 may be beneficial for use by a right-handed player to increase flexibility of the head during face-off. Alternatively, the one or more struts of the second sidewall 150 may have a greater degree of flexure than the struts of the first sidewall (e.g., at least one of the struts 160, 162, 164 may be formed asymmetrically to opposing struts 140, 142, 144 which may instead be formed as traditional rigid struts). Such a configuration may be beneficial for use by a left-handed player during face-off. As used herein, the struts being “asymmetric” to one another may refer to the opposing struts of each of the sidewalls 130, 150 being asymmetric about longitudinal axis 180 and/or transverse axis 182 of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 4A and 5 show rear right and rear left perspective views of the lacrosse head 100, respectively. As disclosed herein, the base portion 110 may include an opening 112 configured to receive a terminal end portion of a lacrosse stick shaft (not shown) to couple the head to the stick. In some embodiments, the base portion may include a flange 116 at least partially enclosing the opening 112, and the flange 116 may be configured to contact the end portion of the lacrosse stick to restrict a depth of insertion of the stick into the head. The lacrosse stick shaft may be secured to the head via one or more fasteners (e.g., pins, clips, screws, etc.), adhesive, tape, or any other suitable engagement method.

FIG. 4B shows an enlarged perspective view of region 4B of FIG. 4A. As shown in FIG. 4B, the strut 140 may be constructed in an asymmetric shape relative to the opposing struts 160, 162, 164 to provide a different degree of flexure. In particular, the strut 140 may be curved and connected to each of the upper rail 132 and lower rail 134 at strut end portions 146, 148, respectively. In some embodiments, the strut may be curved inwardly towards a center of the lacrosse head, as shown in FIG. 4B. The curved shape of the strut 140 may bias the strut 140 and thus the upper and lower rails 132, 134 to deflect inwardly in a direction of arrows 170, 172 (i.e., inwardly towards the imaginary plane described in reference to FIG. 1) in response to an applied force (e.g., a contact force applied to the lower rail) such that a distance between the upper and lower rails is decreased. The strut 140 may be configured to bend inwardly at a greater distance due to its asymmetrical shape than the opposing strut 160, which may be formed to be more rigid. As a result, the upper and lower rails 132, 134 may deflect inwardly at a greater distance than the opposing upper and lower rails 152, 154.

In some embodiments, the size (e.g., thickness, length, etc.) of the one or more struts may be varied to provide a certain flexure profile. For example, the strut end portions 146, 148 may be thicker and/or more rigid than the body of the strut 140. The strut 140 may have a tapering thickness, e.g., a midsection of the strut may be the thinnest portion of the strut while the end portions 146, 148 may be the thickest portions of the strut. In some embodiments, the body of the strut 140 may have a uniform thickness and the thickness may only be increased at the end portions 146, 148. These exemplary configurations may promote bending about the midsection of the strut in response to a contact force applied to the upper and/or lower rails. In some embodiments, one or more struts on the first sidewall may be thinner and more prone to flexure than one or more struts on the second, opposing sidewall which may be thicker and thus more rigid. In addition or alternatively, one or more struts on the first sidewall may have a longer length than struts on the second sidewall such that the struts of the first sidewall have a greater bending moment and are thus more prone to flexure. To accommodate the longer length of these struts while maintaining a similar height between the first and second sidewalls, the struts may be extend between the upper and lower rails of the first sidewall at a greater angle than the struts of the second sidewall.

In some embodiments, the degree of flexure of the one or more asymmetric struts (e.g., strut 140) relative to the traditional, more rigid struts (e.g., strut 160) may be quantified as a percentage increase in the deflection of the lower rails of the respective sidewalls in response to a contact force. For example, in some embodiments, the lower rail 134 may experience a deflection of greater than or equal to 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, or greater relative to the lower rail 154 due to the presence of asymmetric strut 140. In some embodiments, this increase in deflection may be localized to the region of lower rail 134 adjacent to the strut 140 rather than the entirety of lower rail 134 because the other struts 142, 144 may be more rigid. Accordingly, the percentage increase in deflection of the entire lower rail 134 may be less than the localized region adjacent to strut 140, and the entire lower rail 134 may experience an average deflection of greater than or equal to 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, 7%, or greater relative to the entirety of the opposing lower rail 154. As an example, the inventors have conducted finite element analysis of a version of the lacrosse head according to embodiments disclosed herein, and the lower rail experienced an approximately 20% deflection in a region localized to strut 140 and approximately a 4.4% deflection of the entire lower rail. Of course, increases in deflection may be greater or lesser than the values described above depending on the shape, size, material, or other characteristic of the strut as the disclosure is not so limited.

In addition to the strut 140 having a greater degree of flexure relative to the opposing strut 160 as disclosed herein, the strut 140 may have a greater degree of flexure than each of the upper and lower rails 132, 134 of the first sidewall. That is, when a contact force is applied to the sidewall, the strut 140 may be biased to flex instead of the rails 132, 134 being biased to flex.

Although embodiments disclosed herein are primarily discussed in reference to the strut 140 being configured to flex inwardly, e.g., about longitudinal axis 180, the strut may be configured to bend about an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis, e.g., about transverse axis 182 shown in FIG. 1. That is, the strut 140 may flex in a side-to-side fashion such that a pitch of the upper and/or lower rails is adjusted along a length of the sidewall in response to a contact force applied to the sidewall. In some embodiments, the strut may be curved to bias the bending in a specific direction to adjust the pitch of the rails. For example, the strut may be curved towards the base portion 110 such that the midsection of the strut is located closer than the end portions 146, 148 to the base portion. In such an example, the strut may be configured to bend such that a distance between the upper and lower rails closer to the scoop portion is decreased more than a distance between the upper and lower rails closer to the base portion in response to an applied force. Alternatively, the strut may be curved towards the scoop portion such that the midsection of the strut is located closer than the end portions 146, 148 to the scoop portion. As a result, the distance between the upper and lower rails closer to the base portion may be decreased more than the distance between the upper and lower rails closer to the scoop portion in response to an applied force. In view of the above, it should be understood that the one or more struts of a given sidewall may be prone to flexure along any suitable direction or axis to provide an asymmetric flexure profile in the lacrosse head.

Although a plurality of struts is shown in FIGS. 2-5, any suitable number of struts may be provided in the lacrosse head as the disclosure is not so limited. In some embodiments, a suitable number of struts for a given sidewall is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more struts. In addition, any suitable number of struts for a given sidewall may be constructed to have an asymmetric flex relative to the struts on the opposing sidewall. That is, a suitable number of struts having asymmetric flex may be greater than or equal to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more struts. In some embodiments, the first sidewall may include a different number of struts than the second sidewall to provide an asymmetric flexure profile. By providing less struts on a first sidewall than on a second sidewall, the struts of the first sidewall may be more prone to flexure.

In some embodiments, the one of more of the struts for the first sidewall may be constructed out of a different material than the one or more struts for the second sidewall to provide a varied flexure profile. In some such embodiments, the shape of the one or more struts may or may not be varied between opposing sidewalls to provide an asymmetric flexure profile. That is, the struts on each of first sidewall 130 and second sidewall 150 may have a symmetric shape, and only the material selected for the struts may be varied to provide asymmetric flexure. In other embodiments, however, both the material of the struts and the shape of the struts may be varied to provide an asymmetric flexure profile. In this fashion, the amount of flexure for the struts may be further increased relative to a configuration in which only the strut shape is asymmetric.

In some embodiments, a suitable material for a body of the lacrosse head includes, but is not limited to, polypropylene, nylon, carbon fiber, composites, or any other suitable material as the disclosure is not so limited. Likewise, in some embodiments, a suitable material of the one or more struts includes, but is not limited to, polypropylene, nylon, carbon fiber, composites, or any other suitable material. In some embodiments, the struts may be constructed out of the same material as the remainder of the lacrosse head. In other embodiments, however, they may be constructed out of different materials.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show portions of the lacrosse head of FIGS. 2-5 being subjected to an applied loading force where the resulting deformation of the lacrosse head was measured using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software.

FIG. 6 shows a portion of the second sidewall including upper rail 152, lower rail 154, and strut 160, where a compressive loading force is applied to the lower rail 154. In FIG. 6, the highest concentration of resulting deformation was near region 176 as shown in dark gray.

FIG. 7 shows a portion of the first sidewall including upper rail 132, lower rail 134, and asymmetric strut 140, where a compressive loading force is applied to the lower rail 134. In FIG. 7 the highest concentration of resulting deformation was near region 178 as shown in dark gray. In the embodiments of FIGS. 6-7, the same compressive loading force was applied to the respective lower rails 154, 134.

In comparing the examples of FIGS. 6 and 7, the resulting deformation in region 178 of FIG. 7 was approximately 20% greater than the resulting deformation in region 176 of FIG. 6. That is, the lower rail 132 on the side of the lacrosse head having asymmetric strut 140 experienced a greater deformation due to the greater degree of flexure of strut 140 when compared to the side of the lacrosse head having strut 160. Of course, while these exemplary deformation values are disclosed, the disclosure is not so limited as the difference in deformation may depend on a variety of factors including the amount of applied force, the location of the applied force, and the size, shape, and/or material of the strut.

The embodiments described herein may be embodied as a method. The acts performed as part of the method may be ordered in any suitable way. Accordingly, embodiments may be constructed in which acts are performed in an order different than illustrated, which may include performing some acts simultaneously, even though shown as sequential acts in illustrative embodiments.

While the present teachings have been described in conjunction with various embodiments and examples, it is not intended that the present teachings be limited to such embodiments or examples. On the contrary, the present teachings encompass various alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are by way of example only.