Patent Application

App. No. 14/157,411

Abstract

Claims (34)

1 . A ball bat, comprising:

a handle;

a barrel attached to or integral with the handle;

a sleeve attached to or integral with a surface of the barrel; and

an end cap positioned at an end of the barrel and fused to the sleeve.

2 . The ball bat of claim 1 wherein the end cap and the sleeve comprise substantially similar materials such that they are fusible to each other.

3 . The ball bat of claim 2 wherein the end cap and the sleeve each comprise thermoplastic materials.

4 . The ball bat of claim 3 wherein the barrel comprises a composite material, and the thermoplastic sleeve is molded or bonded to an inner surface of the composite barrel.

5 . The ball bat of claim 3 wherein the barrel comprises a composite material, and the thermoplastic sleeve is molded or bonded to an outer surface of the composite barrel.

6 . The ball bat of claim 1 wherein the end cap is fused to an inner surface of the sleeve.

7 . The ball bat of claim 1 wherein the end cap is fused to outer surface of the sleeve.

8 . The ball bat of claim 1 wherein the sleeve is injection-molded to the inner surface of the barrel.

9 . The ball bat of claim 8 wherein one of the sleeve and the inner surface of the barrel includes a protrusion, and the other of the sleeve and the inner surface of the barrel includes a corresponding groove into which the protrusion is positioned to mechanically secure the sleeve to the inner surface of the barrel.

10 . The ball bat of claim 1 wherein one of the sleeve and the surface of the barrel includes a protrusion, and the other of the sleeve and the surface of the barrel includes a corresponding groove into which the protrusion is positioned to mechanically secure the sleeve to the surface of the barrel.

11 . A ball bat, comprising:

a handle;

a barrel including a first end attached to or integral with the handle and a second distal end, with the barrel including an inwardly projecting rim at the second distal end and an inwardly projecting forming portion spaced from the rim to define a cavity between the rim and the forming portion; and

an end cap including a deformable extension positioned in the cavity under the rim such that the end cap is secured to the barrel.

12 . The ball bat of claim 11 wherein the barrel comprises a metal material and the end cap comprises a deformable material.

13 . The ball bat of claim 12 wherein the end cap comprises a thermoplastic material.

14 . The ball bat of claim 11 wherein the forming portion includes a curved portion that positions the deformable extension in the cavity.

15 . A method of attaching an end cap to a barrel of a ball bat, comprising:

attaching a sleeve to an inner surface of the barrel;

spinning the end cap at a high velocity;

inserting the spinning end cap into the barrel so that an outer region of the end cap spins against an inner surface of the sleeve; and

fusing the outer region of the end cap to the sleeve via the heat and friction generated between them.

16 . The method of claim 15 wherein the attaching step comprises molding the sleeve to the inner surface of the barrel.

17 . The method of claim 15 wherein the attaching step comprises bonding the sleeve to the inner surface of the barrel.

18 . The method of claim 15 wherein the spinning step comprises spinning the end cap at a velocity of approximately 3000 rpm.

19 . The method of claim 15 wherein the inserting step continues until a shoulder on the end cap contacts an end of the barrel.

20 . A ball bat, comprising:

a handle;

a barrel attached to or integral with the handle, the barrel comprising a first fusible material; and

an end cap comprising a second fusible material that is compatible with the first fusible material, the end cap directly fused to the barrel.

Assignments (16)