GRIP TAPE

Abstract

A grip tape includes: a flexible, elastic substrate having a top surface and a bottom surface; an adhesive layer applied to the bottom surface of the substrate; and a grip layer applied to the top surface of the substrate, the grip layer including a non-slip material having an elastic limit that is at least as great as an elastic limit of the substrate, and the top surface being substantially free of any adhesive material.

Claims

1. A grip tape, comprising: a flexible, elastic substrate having a top surface and a bottom surface; an adhesive layer applied to the bottom surface of the substrate; and a grip layer applied to the top surface of the substrate, the grip layer comprising a non-slip material having an elastic limit that is at least as great as an elastic limit of the substrate, and the top surface being substantially free of any adhesive material.

2. The grip tape of claim 1, wherein the grip layer comprises a platinum silicone rubber material.

3. The grip tape of claim 2, wherein the platinum silicone rubber material comprises a Platinum-Siloxane Complex.

4. The grip tape of claim 1, wherein the adhesive layer comprises a skin-friendly adhesive material.

5. The grip tape of claim 1, wherein the adhesive layer comprises a non-destructive removable adhesive material.

6. The grip tape of claim 1, wherein the flexible substrate comprises a kinesiology tape that is able to stretch in a single direction.

7. The grip tape of claim 6, wherein the flexible substrate comprises a woven structure including a plurality of elastic fibers and a plurality of non-elastic fibers.

8. The grip tape of claim 1, wherein the grip layer defines a smooth outer surface, substantially free of surface irregularities.

9. The grip tape of claim 1, wherein the grip layer comprises a molded three-dimensional surface feature configured to ergonomically engage with a portion of a user's body.

10. The grip tape of claim 9, wherein the molded three-dimensional surface feature defines one or more finger grooves having a width and depth sufficient to accommodate a natural shape of a user's fingers.

11. The grip tape of claim 1, wherein the grip layer has a Shore A hardness of at most about 2 and a 100% elastic modulus of at most about 40 psi.

12. The grip tape of claim 1, wherein the flexible substrate, adhesive layer, and grip layer define a combined thickness of the grip tape, the thickness being about 1.0 mm or less.

13. A grip tape, comprising: a flexible, elastic kinesiology tape having a top surface and a bottom surface, the tape configured to stretch only in a single direction and comprising a woven pattern of elastic and non-elastic fibers defining the single direction of stretch; an adhesive layer comprising a skin-friendly adhesive material applied to the bottom surface of the tape; and a grip layer applied to the top surface of the tape, the grip layer comprising a non-slip material having an elastic limit that is at least as great as an elastic limit of the tape in the single direction of stretch, and the top surface being substantially free of any adhesive material.

14. The grip tape of claim 13, wherein the grip layer defines a smooth outer surface, substantially free of surface irregularities.

15. The grip tape of claim 13, wherein the grip layer comprises a molded three-dimensional surface feature configured to ergonomically engage with a portion of a user's body, and wherein the molded three-dimensional surface feature defines one or more finger grooves having a width and depth sufficient to accommodate a natural shape of a user's fingers.

16. The grip tape of claim 13, wherein the grip layer has a Shore A hardness of at most about 2 and a 100% elastic modulus of at most about 40 psi.

17. The grip tape of claim 13, wherein the grip layer comprises a platinum silicone rubber material.

18. The grip tape of claim 17, wherein the platinum silicone rubber material comprises a Platinum-Siloxane Complex.

19. The grip tape of claim 13, wherein the kinesiology tape, adhesive layer, and grip layer define a combined thickness of the grip tape, the thickness being about 1.0 mm or less.

20. A method of fabricating a grip tape, the method comprising: positioning a flexible substrate having a top surface and a bottom surface in a substantially flat condition; applying, while the substrate is in the substantially flat condition, an adhesive layer only to the bottom surface of the substrate, such that the top surface of the substrate remains substantially free of any adhesive material; and applying, while the substrate is in the substantially flat condition, a grip layer to the top surface of the substrate, the grip layer comprising a non-slip material having an elastic limit that is at least as great as an elastic limit of the substrate.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view of a first example grip tape in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a suitable technique of manufacture related to the first example grip tape of FIG. 1.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the grip tape of FIG. 1 applied to a rear surface of a mobile communications device.

[0029] FIG. 4A is a perspective view illustrating the grip tape of FIG. 1 applied to the palm of a human hand.

[0030] FIG. 4B is a perspective view illustrating the grip tape of FIG. 1 applied to the fingers of a human hand.

[0031] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of a second example grip tape in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0032] FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the grip tape of FIG. 1 applied to the handle of a hand-held tool.

[0033] FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the grip tape of FIG. 1 applied to the handle of a baseball bat.

[0034] One or more elements of the drawings may be exaggerated to better show the features, process steps, and results. Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings may indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] One or more embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a removable grip tape that can be used in a wide variety of applications to provide tackiness to the surface of an external object. The grip tape can be releasably and non-destructively bonded to the surface, such that if and when the grip tape begins to lose effectiveness or becomes damaged, the user can simply remove and replace it with a fresh piece. In some embodiments, the grip tape is configured to be particularly well suited for contact with a user's skin. For example, an adhesive layer of the grip tape may include a composition that effectively bonds the tape to the user's skin without causing irritation, and a grip layer of the tape may be both smooth and soft, and therefore pleasing to the touch. Further, in some embodiments, the grip layer includes one or more molded three-dimensional surface features configured to ergonomically engage with a portion of the user's body.

[0036] Referring first to FIG. 1, a grip tape 100 includes a substrate 102, an adhesive layer 104, and a grip layer 106. The adhesive layer 104 resides on a bottom surface 105 of the substrate 102. The grip layer 106 resides on a top surface 107 of the substrate 102. As described in detail below, the grip tape 100 can be attached to a surface of an external object via the adhesive layer 104 and provide an enhanced frictional quality (e.g., coefficient of friction) to the object via the grip layer 106. The flexible substrate 102, adhesive layer 104, and grip layer 106 define a combined thickness “t” of the grip tape. In some examples, the thickness “t” about 1.0 mm or less (e.g., about 0.7 mm or about 0.9 mm).

[0037] The substrate 102 is a substantially uniform structure, providing planar bottom and top surfaces 105, 107 for carrying the respective adhesive and grip layers 104, 106. In some embodiments, the substrate 102 is sufficiently flexible and pliant to allow the grip tape 100 to bend freely out of the horizontal plane during application to the intended surface. Further, the flexible nature of the substrate 102 allows the grip tape 100 conform to the shape of an irregular, non-planar surface. In some alternative embodiments, the substrate 102 is substantially rigid and resistant to bending, allowing the grip tape 100 to provide both structural reinforcement and grip enhancement to the applied surface.

[0038] In some examples, the substrate 102 is sufficiently ductile to permit stretching under the tensile stress applied by a user's hands. Thus, for example, a user may pull the ends of a strip of the grip tape 100 and stretch the tape beyond its original length. In some examples, the substrate 102 is an elastic structure, capable of returning to its original shape after some degree of deformation (e.g., stretching). The degree of elasticity may be defined in terms of an “elastic elongation percentage.” The elastic elongation percentage corresponds to the amount of stretching achieved at the substrate's “elastic limit”—the maximum stress before the onset of permanent deformation. Thus, the elastic elongation percentage relates to the maximum amount of elastic stretching for the substrate material. In some implementations, the substrate 102 was provided in the form of a kinesiology tape having an elastic elongation percentage of about 140% (which approximately matches the theoretical elastic elongation percentage of human skin). The substrate 102 may be provided in the form of a woven or non-woven web. In some examples, the construction of the substrate 102 at least partially defines its material properties. For instance, the weave pattern of a woven substrate may impart a directionality to its ductility and elasticity. In some implementations, the substrate 102 was provided in the form of a kinesiology tape including a woven mesh of both elastic and non-elastic fibers, the weave pattern allowing the substrate to stretch elastically in only a single direction (e.g., a lengthwise direction and not a widthwise direction).

[0039] In this example, the adhesive layer 104 is provided in the form of a thin contiguous film applied uniformly across the bottom substrate surface 105. However, other suitable configurations are also within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, a suitable adhesive layer may include discrete deposits of one or more materials, such as a dot pattern and/or a wave or herringbone pattern. The material of the adhesive layer 104 includes a substance capable of securely bonding the grip tape 100 to the surface of an external object. In some examples, the material is a non-destructive removable adhesive, which allows the grip tape 100 to be removed from the surface by hand without inflicting damage to the surface. Thus, one piece of the grip tape 100 can be quickly and easily removed, then replaced with another. In some examples, the material is a skin-compatible adhesive, allowing the grip tape 100 to be bonded directly to a user's skin without causing excessive irritation or trauma when removed. In some implementations a zinc-oxide based adhesive material was used. Suitable material compositions for providing a skin-compatible adhesive are described in U.S. Pat. Pub. 2010/0298747, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0040] Similar to the adhesive layer 104, the grip layer 106 is provided in the form of a thin contiguous film applied uniformly across the top substrate surface 107. FIG. 2 illustrates an example where a the substrate 102 is positioned in a substantially flat condition (i.e., a substantially even condition, where the substrate is not wrinkled, bent, or folded; note, however, that he term “flat” is not intended to require any specific orientation of the substrate), and a substance 10 suitable for forming the grip layer 106 of FIG. 1 (e.g., a platinum silicone rubber material) is applied to the top surface 107 of the substrate 1022 by pouring the substance as a liquid directly onto the substrate from a container 12. In implementations where the substrate is an elastically stretchable structure, the substrate may be maintained in an unstretched state as the adhesive layer 104 and grip layer 106 are applied thereon. In various examples, the substance 10 for forming the grip layer 106 may be applied to the substrate 102 before or after the adhesive layer 104. Further, in some examples, the grip layer 106 may be formed in multiple stages. For example, the first stage may include applying (e.g., pouring a liquid phase substance 10 from a container 12 as shown in FIG. 2) the grip layer 106 to the substrate, and a second stage may include molding one or more three-dimensional surface features into the grip layer 106 (as discussed below) before it sets.

[0041] Referring back to FIG. 1, the material of the grip layer 106 provides increased frictional resistance to relative motion between the outer surface 108 of the layer and the surface of another object. The grip layer 106 is free of any adhesive material, meaning that, under standard room ambient conditions, the grip layer 106 will not tend to bond with the surface of another object. As shown, the outer surface 108 is relatively smooth, substantially free of surface irregularities. The material of the grip layer 106 may also be relatively soft, having a Shore A hardness of about 2 or less. Thus, the grip layer 106, while providing enhanced frictional resistance, may be more pleasing to the touch of a user than a similar structure having one or more textured or roughened portions. The grip layer 106 may be at least as flexible, elastic and/or ductile as the substrate 102. In some examples, the material of the grip layer 106 has a 100% elastic modulus of about 40 psi or less. Further, in some examples, the grip layer has an elastic elongation percentage that is greater than or equal to that of the substrate—e.g., about 140% in some examples. The elastic properties of the grip layer 106 may be especially significant when the substrate 102 is provided in the form of an elastic kinesiology tape. As would be appreciated by those of skill in the art, the elasticity of kinesiology tape creates a pulling force on the user's skin, which provides the desired therapeutic effect. Thus, providing a grip layer matching or exceeding the elasticity of the kinesiology tape permits the benefit of enhanced frictional resistance without the cost decreased therapeutic effectiveness.

[0042] In some examples, the grip layer 106 includes a platinum silicone rubber material, which may, for example, include a Platinum-Siloxane Complex. In some implementations, a platinum silicone material sold by Smooth-On, Inc. under the trade name Dragon Skin® FX-Pro was used to form the grip layer 106. The Dragon Skin product is known to be particularly well designed for use in creating precision molded special effects, such as prosthetic makeup appliances (e.g., masks and the like). Unexpectedly, however, the platinum silicone rubber material also provides the above-described combination of advantageous material properties for providing a suitable grip layer—including, for example, softness, flexibility, elasticity, ductility, and enhanced surface friction. Further, lower durometer platinum silicone rubbers tend to exhibit higher coefficients of friction. Thus, platinum silicone rubber is particularly well suited for applications where the grip tape is likely to contact the user's body, because softer compositions, which are more pleasing to the touch, also provide increased grip.

[0043] Platinum silicone is also known to be non-toxic and compatible with human skin, making it particularly suitable for the grip tape applications described herein. In some examples, the platinum silicone rubber exhibits a non-stick and non-wetting surface property. The non-stick and non-wetting properties allow the grip layer 106 to deflect fluids (e.g., water, bodily fluids, etc.) away from the grip tape 100. Thus, the grip layer 106 may serve a protective function with respect to the substrate 102 and adhesive layer 104, as well as the surface of the underlying object. Further, a grip layer formed from platinum cure silicone rubber, absent colored additives, may be substantially translucent. Thus, a decorative grip tape may be produced by applying a decorative pattern to the substrate 102 before applying the grip layer 106. In this configuration, the translucent nature of the grip layer 106 permits visibility of the decorative substrate 102. Platinum silicone rubbers, such as the Dragon Skin product, are particularly well suited for creating molded shapes (as noted above) due to, among other things, their high dimensional stability. As discussed in detail below with reference to FIGS. 5-7, the moldable nature of platinum silicone can be leveraged in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure to form a grip layer (e.g., grip layer 106′) having one or more molded three-dimensional surface features configured to ergonomically engage with a portion of a user's body.

[0044] FIG. 3 illustrates an example application of the grip tape 100. In this example, the grip tape 100 is provided in the form of a wide strip deposited to the rear surface 202 of a mobile communications device 200 (e.g., a cellular smart phone). The grip tape 100 is securely bonded to the surface 202 by the non-destructive adhesive layer 104 (see FIG. 1), leaving the grip layer 106 exposed for contact with an external object. For example, a user operating the device 200 would likely hold the device in hand with his/her fingers wrapped around and straddling the rear surface 202 carrying the grip tape 100. In this example, the grip tape 106 would contact the user's fingers and provide increased frictional resistance to slipping, as compared to the device's rear surface 202. As such, the user would be less likely to mishandle and drop the device 200. Further, because the grip layer 106 is both smooth and soft, the outer surface 108 in contact with the user's skin is exceptionally pleasing to the touch. Of course numerous other examples of applying the removable grip tape 100 to devices or structures likely to contact a user's skin are also contemplated by the present disclosure. For example, the grip tape 100 could be applied to the surfaces of mice, keyboards, writing instruments, eating utensils, cups, bottles, tools, weaponry, gloves, shoes, hand-held controllers, etc.

[0045] FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate further example applications of the grip tape 100. In these examples, the grip tape 100 is applied directly to a user's skin 300. Accordingly, the adhesive layer 104 (see FIG. 1) features a suitable skin-compatible material composition (e.g., including zinc-oxide). The grip tape applications shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B provide an in situ enhanced grip surface that travels with the user. This may be particularly advantageous in situations when it is not feasible to apply the grip tape 100 to any particular external object that will be handled by the user. Thus, the in situ grip tape configurations may provide a superior alternative to conventional rubber coated grip gloves, which can be bulky, expensive, and tend to wear down over time. In fact, the grip tape 100 may be applied to the user's skin in a variety of ways to produce different types of grip/protective profiles particularly well suited for specific applications. Thus, the grip tape can be used as an effective replacement for various types of conventional rubber grip gloves—e.g., weight lifting or football gloves. For example, referring first to FIG. 4A, here the grip tape 100 is positioned on the palm 302 of the user 300. The skin-compatible adhesive layer 104 (see FIG. 1) is pressed against the skin of the user 300 and releasably bonds the grip tape 100 in place. The grip layer 106 remains exposed, facing outward from the user's palm 302 for contacting external objects. In this example, the grip tape 100 is also fortified by an optional piece of securing tape 304, which may, or may not, include a grip surface. Such applications may be particularly useful for providing grip and protection for the user's palm when performing physical activities, such as weight lifting, sports (e.g., gymnastics or baseball), driving, etc., where the user grasps a cylindrical external object (e.g., a bar or a bat) with an over, under, or neutral-hand grip. In the example application shown in FIG. 4B, the grip tape 100 is applied in separate strips to each of the user's fingers 306. Similar to the example of FIG. 4A, the skin-compatible adhesive layer (see FIG. 1) is pressed against the skin of the user 300, releasably bonding the grip tape 100 in place. The grip layer 106 remains exposed, facing outward from the user's fingers 306 for contacting external objects. Such applications may be particularly useful in the context of football, where players tend to wrap their fingers in conventional athletic tape for injury prevention and/or improved grip.

[0046] FIG. 5 illustrates a grip tape 100′ similar to the grip tape 100 of FIG. 1, including a substrate 102′ and an adhesive layer 104′ residing on a bottom surface 105′ of the substrate 102′. In this example, however, the grip layer 106′ residing on the top surface 107′ of the substrate 102′ is a non-planar structure, featuring an outer surface 108′ defining a plurality of molded three-dimensional surface features 110′. The three-dimensional surface features 110′ may be configured to ergonomically engage with a portion of a user's body, meaning that they are appropriately shaped and sized to accommodate the natural (unstressed) body shape of the user. In this example, the three-dimensional surface features 110′ are provided in the form of transitioning convex 112′ and concave 114′ surface contours that form ergonomic finger grooves. Thus the width “w” and depth “d” of the concave contours 114 and the height “h” of the convex contours 112′ are sufficient to accommodate the natural shape of a user's fingers. Notably, like the grip tape 100′, the outer surface 108′, including the surface features 110′, is relatively smooth, substantially free of surface irregularities. The smoothness of the grip layer's outer surface 108′ may be pleasing to the touch. The smooth, yet contoured outer surface 108′ may be achieved by a molding process. As noted above, platinum silicone rubbers, which unexpectedly provide an advantageous combination of material properties for providing a suitable grip layer, are also particularly well suited for accurate creating molded shapes due to, among other things, their high dimensional stability. These properties converge advantageously in the present embodiment to provide smooth, molded ergonomic features on a soft, flexible, and highly frictional grip tape.

[0047] FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate an example application of the grip tape 100′. In these examples, the grip tape 100′ is applied to the handle 402,502 of a hand-held tool 400 (a hammer in this example) and a baseball bat 500. Similar, to the previous examples, the adhesive layer 104 (see FIG. 5) is pressed against the surface of the handle 402,502 to securely bond the grip tape 100 thereon, while the grip layer 106′ is exposed for contact with the user's hand. The enhanced frictional quality of the grip layer 106′ combined with the molded ergonomic finger grooves allows the user to grasp the handle 402 and manipulate the tool 400 with a secure grip.

[0048] The use of terminology such as “top” and “bottom” throughout the specification and claims is for describing the relative positions of various components of the system and other elements described herein. The use of such terminology does not imply a particular position or orientation of the system or any other components relative to the direction of the Earth gravitational force, or the Earth ground surface, or other particular position or orientation that the assembly or other elements may be placed in during operation, manufacturing, and/or transportation.

[0049] A number of embodiments of the invention have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventions. As one example, the mobile communication device described with reference to FIG. 3 could be any portable object manipulated by the user and/or a stationary surface or object. As another example, the ergonomic finger grooves described with reference to the embodiment of FIGS. 5-7 could be modified or replaced with other ergonomic features (e.g., ergonomic features for accommodating the palm, heel, toes, etc. of the user). Further, the hand-held tool or the baseball bat described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 could be any object that a user may manipulate by a handle, including, for example, a golf club.