Ball bat having grooved knob
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to improvements in softball or baseball bats which permit the batter to use the bat with greater comfort and ease, and with increased batting power. More particularly, it is concerned with such an improved ball bat which includes a grooved terminal knob designed to receive the little finger of the bottom hand of a batter. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Conventional bats used in baseball or softball generally include an elongated shank or handle portion of convenient diameter for gripping by a batter, with an enlarged, elongated, smoothly tapered ball-engaging portion extending from one end of the handle. Moreover, such bats typically include a relatively thin, smoothly arcuate, radially enlarged terminal knob at the lower end of the handle portion remote from the ball-engaging section of the bat. 
     Many batters, particularly those seeking to maximize their batting power, tend to grip a conventional bat at as low a position as possible on the handle. Indeed it is quite common to see batters position their lowermost batting hand with the little finger of that hand in overlapping relationship to the radially enlarged knob. While many batters feel that this aids in increasing the power of their batting stroke, placement of their bottom hands with one or more fingers overlapping the bat knob is inherently an uncomfortable batting position which may detract from desirable bat control. 
     Various modified ball bats and other sporting devices have been proposed in the past. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,775,455 to Liberti describes an ambidexterous bat provided with a pair of opposed grooves in the handle portion of the bat adjacent the terminal knob. These grooves are adapted to receive the small finger of a batter, and the patent teaches that the grooves are disposed for ensuring that the wood grain of the bat will at all times be in correct relationship to the anticipated point of impact between the bat and a pitched ball, regardless of whether a right or left handed batter is using the bat. It will be appreciated, of course, that the construction described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,775,455 does not solve the problem noted above, i.e., the inherently uncomfortable batting grip resulting when a batter attempts to place his small finger around the periphery of the terminal knob. Indeed, the Liberti construction actually exacerbates the problem, by in effect creating an excessive disparity between the radius of the bat handle adjacent the knob, and the periphery of the knob itself. In short, the structure described in the Liberti patent would create more severe problems to a batter wishing to place his hands as low as possible on the bat handle, as compared with conventional bats. Other prior art references describing various types of grips include U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,895,737, 3,084,938, 2,031,161, 1,664,257 and 1,638,454. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The problems outlined above are in large measure solved by the improved ball bat of the present invention. Broadly speaking, the bat hereof includes an elongated handle portion of a comfortable diameter for gripping by a batter, with an elongated, radially enlarged, ball-engaging portion extending from one end of the handle. The bat further includes a relatively thin terminal knob at the end of the handle portion remote from the ball-engaging portion, with the knob being radially enlarged relative to the handle portion. Advantageously, the knob is slightly thicker than most conventional knobs in order to accommodate a properly configured groove. 
     Additionally, however, the bat of the present invention includes structure defining an elongated groove in the periphery of the terminal knob for receiving the small or little finger of a batter. This groove may be continuous and extend completely around the periphery of the knob, or the groove can extend only part way around the knob periphery. Advantageously, the finger-receiving groove is arcuate in cross-section and presents smoothly rounded corners adjacent the top and bottom margins of the knob. 
     The improvement of the present invention can be utilized in virtually all types of ball bats, including those used for softball and baseball. Moreover, the bats of the present invention can be formed of wood or metal, e.g., aluminum. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ball bat in accordance with the present invention, illustrating the grooved terminal knob; 
     FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view illustrating the bat in accordance with the present invention, shown being gripped by a batter with the small or little finger of the batter&#39;s lower hand being received within the peripheral groove of the lower terminal knob; 
     FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2 which further illustrates the grooved knob structure of the invention; 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary view further depicting in detail the grooved knob structure; 
     FIG. 5 is a sectional view similar to that of FIG. 3 which illustrates a second embodiment of the invention wherein the lower terminal knob includes a finger-receiving groove extending only part way around the periphery of the knob; and 
     FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view similar to that of FIG. 4 showing in detail the grooved knob structure of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Turning now to the drawing, a bat 10 in accordance with the invention is illustrated in perspective in FIG. 1. The bat 10 is of integral construction and includes an elongated gripping or handle portion 12 adjacent the lower end of the bat, with a radially enlarged, elongated ball-engaging portion 15 extending from one end of handle portion 12. In addition, the bat 10 includes a specialized terminal knob 16 at the end of handle portion 12 remote from the portion 15. As illustrated, the knob 16 is relatively thin and is radially enlarged relative to the adjacent handle portion 12. As best seen in FIGS. 2-4, the knob 16 is provided with an elongated, arcuate in cross-section groove 14 extending around the periphery of the radially enlarged knob. To this end, it will be observed (see FIG. 4), that the groove-defining structure presents upper and lower, smoothly rounded shoulders 18 and 20 connected by a shallow, arcuate, smoothly tapered wall 22. 
     Turning now to FIG. 2, it will be seen that in use a batter&#39;s hands 24, 26 can be placed along the lower section of handle portion 12, with the small or little finger 28 of the batter&#39;s lower hand 26 being received within the groove 14. In this way the batter may more comfortably grip the bat with a less pronounced dimensional variation between the handle portion 12 and the knob 16, as compared with conventional bats. An additional advantage of the present invention resides in the fact that use of the grooved knob 16 permits additional weight to be placed in the upper ball-engaging portion 14 of the bat. That is to say, total bat weight limits are strictly enforced in regulation bats for baseball and softball, and it is advantageous that the maximum amount of mass be present in the upper ball-engaging portion 14 of a bat in order to increase batting power. As such, removal of material from the bat in order to form the lower peripheral groove 14 in knob 16, permits an enlargement of the upper portion of the bat without violating total weight standards. 
     FIGS. 5-6 depict another embodiment in accordance with the invention, wherein use is made of a terminal knob 16a. In this case, however, the peripheral groove 14a extends only partially around the periphery of the knob 16a, as opposed to the groove 14 of FIGS. 1-4, which extends in a continuous fashion around the knob periphery. Here again though, it will be observed that the groove 14a is configured to present upper and lower, smoothly rounded shoulders 18a and 20a, together with a smoothly tapered, interconnecting, groove-defining wall 22a. Further, it will be observed that the depth of the groove 14a smoothly tapers toward and merges with the normal outer peripheral wall 28 of the handle 16a. In the case of wooden bats in accordance with this embodiment, the finger-receiving groove is preferably formed with the longitudinal axis thereof essentially perpendicular to the grain of the wood, such grain normally being horizontally oriented when the knob is viewed in plan. Hence, the bats can be used by right or left handed batters while still maintaining the grain properly oriented for batting. 
     Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention admits of many variations and alterations. Such would include use of various materials for forming the bat proper (e.g., wood or aluminum), as well as changes in the specific dimensions of the grooved terminal knob. It is, of course, intended that all such variations and alterations be included within the fair scope of the claims hereof.