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NikeGranted patentClothing & sportInterest 4/10

Nike patents grip pads with angled teeth for better hand traction

Nike has been granted a patent for a hand-held device featuring a base with a handle and a traction pad on the opposite side. This pad contains multiple small teeth or elements that stick out at an angle to create a better grip when a user holds the handle.

Why it mattersThis design could improve the stability of sports equipment or fitness tools by preventing the hand from slipping during use.

In the filing’s own words

Hand-engaging devices include: (a) a base member having a first side for engaging a user's hand and an opposite second side providing a mount surface; and (b) a traction pad engaged with the mount surface. The traction pad may include a base surface and plural traction elements extending outward from the base surface. The traction elements may include a free end and/or a free edge spaced apart from the base surface. In some examples, a first set of the plural traction elements may include a one-piece structure forming a traction element base extending along a portion of the base surface of the traction pad and first and second traction elements. Each of these traction elements may extend away from the traction element base, through the base surface, and to a free end of the traction element that is spaced from an exposed face of the base surface.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A hand-engaging device, comprising: a base member including: (a) a first side including a thumb-receiving chamber and a handle, wherein the first side is configured to engage a user's hand, and (b) a second side opposite the first side; and a traction pad engaged or integrally formed with the second side of the base member, wherein the traction pad includes a base surface and a plurality of traction elements extending outward from the base surface, the plurality of traction elements including at least one of a free end or a free edge spaced apart from the base surface, wherein a first set of the plurality of traction elements includes the free end spaced apart from the base surface, wherein the first set of the plurality of traction elements extend away from the base surface in a forward direction with respect to the band-engaging device such that the free ends of the traction elements of the first set are located further forward than are a corresponding base region of that traction element, and wherein the handle is positioned with respect to the traction pad to define a receptacle that is located between an outer surface of the handle and the traction pad, the receptacle being configured to receive at least one finger of the user's hand when the user grasps the handle.

Facts

Company
Nike (NIKE, Inc.)
Official title
Hand-engaging devices with traction-enhancing features
Patent number
US12727630B2
Application number
18913401
Filed
Oct 11, 2024
Granted
Sep 8, 2026
Inventors
6
Claims
20

Classified under

A41D 13/081 Human necessitiesA41D 13/0002 Human necessitiesA41D 2400/80 Human necessitiesA41D 2500/50 Human necessities
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.