Lacrosse head pocket and related method of manufacture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9427641-B2
Application number	US-201514815100-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 31, 2015
Priority date	Aug 7, 2014
Publication date	Aug 30, 2016
Grant date	Aug 30, 2016

Abstract

A lacrosse head pocket and a related method of manufacture are provided to facilitate consistent, repeatable and/or custom manufacture of lacrosse equipment. The pocket can be constructed from multiple different sections joined with one another, or can be knitted, weaved or otherwise assembled on an automated assembly machine from strands, and/or can be formed as a unitary textile material having regions/sections with different physical and/or mechanical properties. The pocket can be integrally molded within portions of a lacrosse head to eliminate manually constructed connections between the pocket and lacrosse head. The lacrosse head can be integrally molded with a lacrosse handle to provide a one-piece unitary lacrosse stick. Related methods of manufacturing also are provided.

First claim

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A method of making a lacrosse head pocket comprising:
coupling a first plurality of strands to a machine;
mechanically manipulating the first plurality of strands with the machine during a process to form a first predefined, three dimensional shape in a first unitary textile lacrosse pocket body as a result of the process;
mechanically manipulating the first plurality of strands with the machine during the process to form a second predefined, three dimensional shape in a second lacrosse pocket body as a result of the process, the second lacrosse pocket body being joined with the first lacrosse pocket body via at least one strand to form a strip of lacrosse pockets; and
decoupling the first lacrosse pocket body from the second lacrosse pocket body,
wherein upon the decoupling, the first lacrosse pocket body retains the first predefined, three dimensional shape in the first lacrosse pocket body.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising;
knitting a first upper edge in the first lacrosse pocket body;
knitting a second lower edge in the second lacrosse pocket body, the first upper edge being joined with the second lower edge at an edge interface,
wherein the decoupling step includes decoupling the first upper edge from the second lower edge at the edge interface.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the decoupling step includes at least one of cutting and hot melting the strip of lacrosse pockets at the edge interface to remove the first pocket body from the second pocket body, and comprising overmolding the first upper edge with a head material having a thickness of 1.5 mm to 4.5 mm.

4. The method of claim 1 comprising:
coupling a second plurality of strands to the machine, each of the second plurality of strands being constructed from a second material, different from a first material from which the first plurality of strands is constructed, the second material having a different elasticity from an elasticity of the first material;
interlooping with the machine the second plurality of strands with preselected ones of the first plurality of strands.

5. The method of claim 1 comprising:
utilizing the process to knit a plurality of distinct, additional unitary textile lacrosse pocket bodies on the machine, the plurality of additional lacrosse pocket bodies being coupled to the second lacrosse pocket body, and forming an extension of the strip of lacrosse pockets.

6. The method of claim 1 comprising:
providing first lacrosse pocket data pertaining to the predefined, three dimensional shape;
accessing the first lacrosse pocket data with a controller; and
controlling the machine with the controller,
whereby the machine produces the strip of lacrosse pockets, each lacrosse pocket having a substantially identical predefined three dimensional shape.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the mechanically manipulating the first strands with the machine to form the first predefined, three dimensional shape in the first unitary textile lacrosse pocket body forms at least one of a concave shooting ramp and a concave middle pocket in the pocket body.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the mechanically manipulating the first strands with the machine to form the first predefined, three dimensional shape in the first unitary textile lacrosse pocket body forms a substantially planar shooting ramp flank adjacent the concave shooting ramp, and an edge of the pocket body.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein during the process the machine knits the first unitary textile pocket body so as to form in the first lacrosse pocket body:
an upper edge corresponding to a portion of the first lacrosse pocket body adapted to attach to a scoop of a lacrosse head;
first and second sidewall edges, each of the first and second sidewall edges corresponding to a portion of the first lacrosse pocket body adapted to attach to respective sidewalls of the lacrosse head;
a lower edge corresponding to a portion of the first lacrosse pocket body adapted to attach to a base of a lacrosse head;
a middle pocket having the predefined, three dimensional, concave shape; and
at least one of a shooting ramp and a shooting ramp flank, having at least one of a predefined planar shape and a predefined, three dimensional convex shape.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein each of the upper edge, first and second sidewall edges and the middle pocket, and at least one of a shooting ramp and the shooting ramp flank are formed entirely by the machine, without any direct manual human manipulation of the first plurality of strands.

11. The method of claim 1 comprising:
providing a plurality of spools, each having at least one of the first plurality of strands wound on the spool, the plurality of spools being distal from the machine; and
pulling the at least one of the first plurality of strands off the respective ones of the plurality of spools with the machine.

12. A method of making a lacrosse pocket comprising:
extending a first plurality of strands from a first spool to a machine;
extending a second plurality of strands from a second, different spool to the machine;
mechanically manipulating the first plurality of strands and the second plurality of strands with the machine during a process to form a first predefined, three dimensional, shape in a first lacrosse pocket body;
mechanically manipulating the first plurality of strands and the second plurality of strands with the machine during the process to form a second predefined, three dimensional, shape in second lacrosse pocket body, the second lacrosse pocket body being joined with the first lacrosse pocket body to form a strip of at least two interconnected lacrosse pockets; and
decoupling the first lacrosse pocket body from the second lacrosse pocket body,
wherein upon the decoupling, the first lacrosse pocket body retains the first predefined, three dimensional shape in the first lacrosse pocket body.

13. The method of claim 12 comprising forming the first predefined, three dimensional, shape in the first lacrosse pocket body without engaging the first lacrosse pocket body with a mold of any type.

14. The method of claim 12 comprising knitting with the machine a first perimeter and a second opposing perimeter along the strip of at least two interconnected lacrosse pockets, wherein the first perimeter and second perimeter undulate toward and away from a longitudinal axis of the strip.

15. The method of claim 12 comprising:
knitting a shooting ramp flank in the first pocket body adjacent a middle pocket; and
knitting a pocket edge that extends adjacent both the shooting ramp flank and the middle pocket,
wherein the pocket edge is a first distance from a longitudinal axis of the strip adjacent the shooting ramp flank,
wherein the pocket edge is a second distance from a longitudinal axis of the strip adjacent the middle pocket,
wherein the first distance is greater than the second distance.

16. A method of making a lacrosse head pocket comprising:
coupling a first plurality of strands to a knitting machine;
mechanically manipulating the first plurality of strands with the knitting machine during a knitting process to form a first predefined, three dimensional shape in a first unitary textile lacrosse pocket body as a result of the knitting process;
mechanically manipulating the first plurality of strands with the knitting machine during the knitting process to form a second predefined, three dimensional shape in a second lacrosse pocket body as a result of

Assignees

• Warrior Sports Inc

Inventors

• Morrow David K
• Huffa Bruce
• Burns Thomas H
• Janisse Richard J
• Slater Sean J
• Kohler Dale W
• Herman Craig M

Classifications

• B29C66/1122

  Single lap to lap joints, i.e. overlap joints (B29C66/45, B29C66/472, B29C66/52272 take precedence) · CPC title

• D03D51/00

  Driving, starting, or stopping arrangements; Automatic stop motions {(loom control associated with fabric inspection on the loom D03J1/007)} · CPC title

• D10B2507/00

  Sport; Military · CPC title

• B29C65/18

  using heated tools · CPC title

• B29K2623/0683

  UHMWPE, i.e. ultra high molecular weight polyethylene · CPC title