Fencing Sport Safety Blade

Abstract

Creating a beveled edge on a traditionally manufactured sport fencing bladeespecially on a sabre blade tipchanges the structure of such a blade's angle of incidence, thereby resulting in a safer blade that is less apt to cause injury by piercing a fencer's protective uniform.

Claims

1. A fencing blade, comprising: an elongated rod-like element having an end designated as the hilt suitable for engagement with a handle; on said elongated rod-like element, at least a second end positioned opposite to said hilt and designated as the tip, having at least a top surface, a bottom surface, a first side surface, a second side surface, and a face surface, wherein said at least a top surface is substantially perpendicular to said at least a first and a second side surfaces; beveling of the adjacent angles on said tip formed by the intersection between said top surface and said opposingly-positioned said first and second side surfaces; inverse bending of said tip so that said tip face surface is substantially in parallel contact with said tip bottom surface;

2. The fencing blade of claim 1, wherein: said elongated rod is made of steel; said beveling is at an angle measuring 45 degrees;

3. A fencing blade, comprising: an elongated rod-like element having a hilt end suitable for engagement with a handle; on said elongated rod-like element, at least a second tip end positioned opposite to said hilt and having at least a top surface, a bottom surface and a face surface; rounded beveling of the point of intersection between said top surface and said bottom surface; inverse bending of said tip so that said tip face surface is substantially in parallel contact with said tip bottom surface;

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] FIG. 1Discloses an illustration of a perspective side view of a conventional sabre tip having safety enhancing beveled side edges.

[0016] FIG. 2Discloses an illustration of a top-down view a conventional sabre blade tip having beveled side edges.

[0017] FIG. 3Discloses an illustration of a top view of a conventional sabre blade tip having beveled side edges that are convexly rounded.

[0018] FIG. 4Discloses a technical illustration of a side view of a conventional sabre tip having beveled side edges.

[0019] FIG. 5Discloses a perspective illustration of a separate beveled safety tip fitted over a tipless, conventional, rectangular blade which gets inserted into a cavity that is formed within the safety tip.

[0020] FIG. 6Discloses a perspective illustration of a conventional sabre tip having beveled side edges and also three bevels on the tip exterior surface.

[0021] FIG. 7Discloses an illustration of a top-down view of a conventional sabre blade tip having beveled side edges and also three bevels on the tip exterior surface.

[0022] FIG. 8Discloses a perspective illustration of a sabre tip having beveled side edges and also rounded tip sides that bow-out from the tip as the tip is solid and not hollow as in the traditional structure.

[0023] FIG. 9Discloses an illustration of a top-down view of an embodiment of FIG. 8 wherein the tip is substantially globe-like, having partially beveled sides which are substantially circumferential.

[0024] FIG. 10Discloses a technical illustration of perspective view of a sabre tip having beveled side edges and also flat sides that are solid in contrast to the structure of a conventional sabre blade tip.

[0025] FIG. 11Discloses an illustration of a perspective side view of a conventional sabre tip having safety enhancing beveled side edges, and which is approximately oriented facing in the conventional position that a fencer would adopt in an en garde position just prior to starting a fencing bout.

[0026] FIG. 12Discloses an illustration of a perspective view of a conventional fencing sabre blade tip having beveling between the top and side surfaces, and prior to inversional bending into a conventional sabre fencing blade.

[0027] FIG. 13Discloses an illustration of a perspective view of a conventional fencing sabre blade tip having beveling between the top and side surfaces and also beveling between the bottom and side surfaces and prior to inversional bending into a conventional sabre fencing blade.

[0028] FIG. 14Discloses an illustration of a perspective view of approximately half a conventional fencing sabre blade starting from its hilt.

TABLE-US-00001 Blade Bottom Surface 20 Attached Cover-Tip Bottom Surface 21 Blade Side Surface 22 First Blade Beveled Edge 24 Second Blade Beveled Edge 26 Tip Face 28 Blade Top Surface 30 Blade Side Surface 32 First Tip Face Bevel 34 Second Tip Face Bevel 36 Rounded Bevel 40 Unbent Tip Face 42 Third Blade Beveled Edge 44 Fourth Blade Beveled Edge 46 Rod 50 Rod Hilt 52

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] In a preferred embodiment, a conventional blade is produced, typically from a steel Rod 50. Prior to any finishing, such as colorizing or coating being administered to Rod 50, and also prior to the inwards or backwards bending of Tip Face 28 so that Tip Face 28 comes into substantially is parallel planar contact with Blade Bottom 20 (thereby forming its traditionally rounded structural shape), the ninety-degree angulated edges formed by the meeting of Blade Top Surface 30 and the opposing two sides designated as Blade Side Surface 22 and Blade Side Surface 32 are ground or shaved-down using conventional grinding/shaving machinery known in the art, thereby forming a preferably (but not necessarily) a 45-degree angled Blade Bevel Edge 24. The degree/extent of the grinding ultimately will be regulated by the fencing community's competitive governing authority(ies).

[0030] The tip of Rod 50 is identified by referencing Rod Hilt 52 (to which a conventional handle is attached in a traditional manner), and thereafter locating the end opposite to that of Rod Hilt 52. Since on a conventional sabre fencing blade, the engineering of Rod Hilt 52 exhibits a Top Surface 30 and a Bottom Surface 20 for the convenience of fitting Rod 52 into a conventional handle, the tip of Rod 50 also, necessarily presents a Blade Top Surface 30 and a Blade Bottom Surface 20.

[0031] Optimally, Blade Beveled Edges 24 and 26 (created on sides opposite to each other) should start at Tip Face 28 and should extend towards Rod Hilt 52 for a distance of approximately one inch. (Although it is certainly possible to grind down a portion of the tip greater than one inch, as-yet to be established fencing regulations will ultimately dictate rules regulating beveling distance.) The administration of such beveling on a sabre blade serves to reduce the angle of incidence from the degree which has historically been exhibited on unbeveled sabre blades.

[0032] Upon the successful creation of Blade Beveled Edges 24 and 26, Tip Face 28 is conventionally bent inwards or backwards in a conventional manner well-known in the art so that Tip Face 28 comes into substantially parallel planar contact with Blade Bottom 20. During a conventional grinding process to administer Blade Beveled Edges 24 and 26, Rod 50 can be held by human hands, or a process may be implemented so that a multitude of Rods 50 are fed into a holding vise as part of a robotic arm that can grip a Rod 50 for automatic presentation to a grinding wheel. Depending on the speed of the grinding wheel and coarseness of its abrasive surface, the time to administer Blade Beveled Edges 24 and 26 may vary from approximately three seconds to fractions of a second.

[0033] After edge-beveling has been accomplished, conventional processing of a blade may be accomplished in a manner known to one skilled in the art, which may include, for instance, anodizing. The dexterity of the control exerted over the grinding process which imparts the edge-beveling onto the tip of Rod 50 should be such that the beveled angle should be smooth, steady, and constant in order to provide for a uniform beveling that produces Beveled Edges 24 and 26.

Alternate Embodiment

[0034] In an alternate embodiment, Blade Bevel Edges 24 and 26 are generated on Rod 50 subsequent to the bending of Unbent Tip Face 42 which results in the formation of Blade Tip Face 28.