US 11,987,012 B2
Hockey stick formed from sheet molding compound
Edouard Rouzier, Montreal (CA); Martin Chambert, Piedmont (CA); and Candide Deschenes, Saint-Jerome (CA)
Assigned to Bauer Hockey, LLC, Exeter, NH (US)
Filed by Bauer Hockey Ltd., Blainville (CA)
Filed on Sep. 20, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/576,843.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/734,510, filed on Sep. 21, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2020/0094492 A1, Mar. 26, 2020
Int. Cl. B29C 70/08 (2006.01); A63B 59/70 (2015.01); B29C 70/30 (2006.01); B29C 70/68 (2006.01); A63B 102/02 (2015.01); A63B 102/14 (2015.01); A63B 102/18 (2015.01); A63B 102/22 (2015.01); A63B 102/24 (2015.01); A63B 102/32 (2015.01); B29L 31/52 (2006.01)
CPC B29C 70/081 (2013.01) [A63B 59/70 (2015.10); B29C 70/30 (2013.01); B29C 70/68 (2013.01); A63B 2102/02 (2015.10); A63B 2102/14 (2015.10); A63B 2102/18 (2015.10); A63B 2102/22 (2015.10); A63B 2102/24 (2015.10); A63B 2102/32 (2015.10); A63B 2209/00 (2013.01); A63B 2209/02 (2013.01); B29L 2031/52 (2013.01)] 28 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of fabricating a formed hockey blade structure, comprising:
positioning preform layers in a mold wherein the preform layers comprise a first sheet molding compound material formed by introducing randomly oriented fiber strands having a first average fiber length in between layers of resin paste and solidifying a resultant composite into a flexible sheet and a second sheet molding compound material formed by introducing randomly oriented fiber strands having a second average fiber length, longer than the first average fiber length, in between layers of resin paste and solidifying a resultant composite into a second flexible sheet;
positioning the second sheet molding compound material to be integrally molded only at a heel area and middle area of the hockey blade structure and positioning the first sheet molding compound material to be integrally molded only at a remainder of the hockey blade structure;
positioning a foam core between a selected two of the preform layers of the sheet molding compound material in the mold to be integrally molded within the hockey blade structure;
positioning one or more layers of fiber tape between each layer of the preform layers or a subset of the preform layers;
heating and cooling the mold; and
removing a formed hockey blade structure from the mold;
wherein the formed hockey blade structure has an outer face comprising a back face and a front face.