Hollow ball bat with dampening means

Claim 1

A hollow ball bat comprising a tubular bat body having a handle portion, a barrel portion and a connecting portion, an end closure disposed at the barrel end of said tubular bat body, a tubular paperboard dampening element disposed within said barrel portion and having an exterior surface in contact with the interior surface of said barrel portion, said end closure being an end plug having a section extending into said barrel portion, said end plug having an exterior surface portion in contact with the interior surface of said barrel portion and further having a reduced diameter annular lower section disposed within said dampening element, means permanently securing said tubular paperboard dampening element to said end plug lower section whereby said paperboard dampening element will be restrained against undesired relative axial movement with respect to said bat body and impact between said ball bat and a ball will result in said dampening element reducing the noise and vibration in said ball bat to a level below that which would exist in the absence of said dampening member, said end plug having an upper end outer surface extending beyond the barrel end portion and further having an outwardly open annular groove disposed between said reduced diameter lower section and the upper end of said plug, and said bat body having an annular generally radially inwardly directed portion extending into said annular groove, whereby relative axial movement of said end plug with respect to end ball bat is resisted.