Ball bat with tailored flexibility

Claim 1

A ball bat with tailored flexibility for use in allowing for improved swing characteristics: a cylindrical handle zone at a first end of the ball bat, the cylindrical handle zone having a knob disposed on a free end thereof, the cylindrical handle zone having a length of about one-third of an overall length of the ball bat; a generally cylindrical hitting zone at a second end of the ball bat remote from the first end, the hitting zone having a length of about one-third of the overall length of the ball bat and essentially equal to the length of the cylindrical handle zone; an essentially frustoconical transition zone between the handle zone and the hitting zone, the transition zone having a length of about one-third of the overall length of the ball bat, the transition zone including a frustoconical region and a flex control region, the frustoconical region being adjacent to the hitting zone, the flex control region being adjacent to the handle zone, the flex control region including an inboard portion of a first length in a frustoconical configuration, the inboard portion having a lower end integral with and having an essentially equal diameter as an upper end of the cylindrical handle zone, the flex control region including an outboard portion of a second length in a frustoconical configuration, the second length being about five times greater than the first length, an upper end of the inboard portion and a lower end of the outboard portion integrally forming an enlarged annular ring, the flex control region modifying normal flex characteristics of the ball bat, the enlarged annular ring having a diameter at a widest portion thereof greater than 2.5 times a diameter of the cylindrical handle zone.