TABLE TENNIS RACKET

Abstract

A table tennis racket 1 characterized in that the circumference of the blade 3 comprises a plurality of straight portions 9a-g, and in that the handle 2 is aligned with a central longitudinal axis 8 of the racket 1.

Claims

1. A table tennis racket comprising a handle and a blade, wherein the blade comprises a base portion connected to the handle, wherein the blade comprises a first side for attachment of one or more primary cover layers and an opposite second side for attachment of one or more secondary cover layers, and wherein the table tennis racket is symmetrical about a first plane, said first plane being perpendicular to the first side and said first plane being aligned with a central longitudinal axis of the table tennis racket, wherein the circumference of the blade comprises a plurality of straight portions comprising a straight front portion extending perpendicularly to the first plane, a front-left side portion extending obliquely outwards from a left end of the straight front portion, a corresponding front-right side portion extending obliquely outwards from a right end of the straight front portion, a left intermediate side portion extending from the front-left side portion towards the base portion, a corresponding right intermediate side portion extending from the front-right side portion towards the base portion, a rear-left side portion extending from the left intermediate side portion to the handle, and a corresponding rear-right side portion extending from the right intermediate side portion to the handle, and in that the handle is aligned with the central longitudinal axis.

2. A table tennis racket according to claim 1, wherein the portion of the handle connecting to the blade has a width of less than 25% of the maximum width of the blade.

3-7. (canceled)

8. A table tennis racket according to claim 1, also comprising the primary cover layer(s) and the secondary cover layer(s), wherein the primary cover layer(s) is different from the secondary cover layer(s) by differing in color, material, and/or surface structure.

9. A table tennis racket according to claim 1, wherein the material(s) of the primary and secondary cover layers is/are rubber sheet material(s).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0027] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of a table tennis.

[0028] FIG. 2 shows a top view of the table tennis racket also shown in FIG. 1.

[0029] FIG. 3 shows a back view of the table tennis racket also shown in FIGS. 1-2.

TABLE-US-00001 1 table tennis racket 2 handle 3 blade 4 base portion of blade 5 primary cover layer(s) 6 secondary cover layer(s) 7 first plane 8 central longitudinal axis 9a front straight portion of blade 9b front-left side portion 9c front-right side portion 9d left intermediate side portion 9e right intermediate side portion 9f rear-left side portion 9g rear-right side portion W1 width of handle at connection to blade W2 maximum width of blade TL total length of the table tennis racket

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] A table tennis racket 1 according to a first embodiment of the invention will hereinafter be described with reference to FIGS. 1-3.

[0031] The table tennis racket 1 comprises a handle 2 and a blade 3, [0032] wherein the blade 3 comprises a base portion 4 connected to the handle 2. Also, the blade 3 comprises a first side for attachment of one or more primary cover layers 5 and an opposite second side for attachment of one or more secondary cover layers 6. In this embodiment, the racket comprises the primary 5 and secondary 6 cover layers but in other embodiments, the table tennis racket 1 could alternatively be provided without the primary 5 and secondary 6 cover layers such that the customer can buy any type of cover layers and apply them to the blade 3. The material(s) of the primary 5 and secondary 6 cover layers is/are rubber sheet material(s). But could in other embodiments alternatively be some other type of materials, such as thermoplastics, and could comprise a sandwich structure of multiple materials such as a foamed material facing the blade 3 and a surface made of rubber or thermoplastics. The primary cover layer is different from the secondary cover layer 6 by differing in color, material, and/or surface structure. In this embodiment, the primary cover layer 5 is red and the secondary cover layer black, but in other embodiments, they could have the same color, or other colors. In this embodiment, the materials of the primary cover layer 5 and the secondary cover layer 6 are different but in other embodiments, the materials could be the same and the cover layers 5, 6 could even be of the same type and color.

[0033] The blade 3 is symmetrical about a first plane 7, said first plane 7 being perpendicular to the first side and said first plane being aligned with a central longitudinal axis 8 of the table tennis racket 1, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The circumference of the blade 3 comprises a plurality of straight portions 9a-g, and in that the handle 2 is aligned with the central longitudinal axis 8.

[0034] The straight edges provide clear visual references for the player and thus enables the player to get a better perception of the orientation and position of the racket during game play. The symmetry of the blade about the first plane enables the player to change grip by flipping the racket 180 degrees during game play to enable use of either one of the first or second sides for forehand use/backhand use respectively whilst still offering unchanged geometry of the circumference relatively the player's hand. Hence, the present table tennis racket design enables improved ball control by combining visual references with side-selection-independent geometry.

[0035] The handle 2 is symmetric about the first plane 7 but could in other embodiments alternatively be asymmetric about the first plane.

[0036] By making the handle symmetric about the first plane, the user can get the exact same grip independent of what side of the racket is used during play as forehand/backhand side. The symmetric handle also makes the racket equally well suited for use by lefthanded and a righthanded persons and thus enables sharing of racket in a group of people including both lefthanded and righthanded people.

[0037] The portion of the handle 2 connecting to the blade 3 has a width W1 of less than 25% of the maximum width W2 of the blade 3. The widths W1, W2 are shown in FIG. 2. It should be understood this requirement is to exclude any shapes of the handle extending over either one of the first and second blade sides along either one of the back edges of the blade to the handle 3, such that the table tennis racket 1 has an essentially planar surface all the way from the front of the racket and to the back of the bracket at the base portion. By keeping the handle narrow where it is connected to the base portion of the blade, the risk of the handle striking the ball is low since there are no portions of the handle protruding above the blade to the left or to the right of the stem of the handle.

[0038] The plurality of straight portions 9a-g comprise a straight front portion 9a extending perpendicularly to the first plane 7. The plurality of straight portions 9a-g also comprise a front-left side portion 9b extending obliquely outwards from a left end of the straight front portion 9a, and a corresponding front-right side portion 9c extending obliquely outwards from a right end of the straight front portion 9a. Also, the plurality of straight portions 9a-g comprise a left intermediate side portion 9d extending from the front-left side portion 9b towards the base portion 4, and a corresponding right intermediate side portion 9e extending from the front-right side portion 9c towards the base portion 4. Finally, the plurality of straight portions 9a-g further comprise a rear-left side portion 9f extending from the left intermediate side portion 9d to the handle 2, and a corresponding rear-right side portion 9g extending from the right intermediate side portion 9e to the handle 2.

[0039] In other embodiments, one or more of the straight portions 9a-g could be replaced by a curved edge as long as the circumference of the table tennis racket 1 comprises at least one straight portion. Also, although the straight portions in the depicted embodiment are symmetric about the first plane 7, at least some of the straight portions could in other embodiments alternatively be configured such that the blade 3 is asymmetric about the first plane 7. The handle and the blade are made of wood but could in other embodiments alternatively be made of any other suitable material.

[0040] The total length TL of the table tennis racket is 260 mm from the straight front portion to the end of the handle 2.