AN IMPROVED TENNIS RACKET PRESS
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 5th June, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 5th Mar
189
Complete Specification Accepted, 6th Apr, 1889
WILLIAM M'DONNELL Merchant India Villa Corbally Limerick do hereby declare
the nature of my invention for AN IMPROVED TENNIS RACKET PRESS to be as
follows
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I propose to shape two iron or other metal plates with arms somewhat in the
form of the letter T but with arms at both ends and also having those arms forined
so as to embrace as much as possible the shape of a Tennis Racket At both ends of
the plates I place in one plate a stub with a thread and thumb screw attached in the
ends of the other plate make holes through which the stubs in the other plate may
pass Between those plates I place the Racket to be pressed and by aid of the stubs
and thumb screws fasten the plates firmly on the Racket and thereby press it
I do not confine myself to a T shaped press semicircular plates which only take
in the end of a Racket may also be adapted and found a useful form of my
machine
I do not limit myself to metal as the only substance from which my press may be
formed it can also be made from other convenient material such as timber
L
T1000

page_text: I, WILLIAM MCDONNELL, of India Villa, Corbally, Limerick, Merchant do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement
-
The object of my invention is to form or construct a tennis racket press which
shall be capable of being cheaply made, shall be efficient in use, and at the same time
may be easily and quickly applied
My invention will be best understood by describing same with reference to
Figures 1 to 7 of the accompanying drawings
According to my invention I provide two iron or other plates, (which may be
formed by casting or otherwise) shaped similarly, and somewhat as the letter T, but
with arms at both ends Such plates marked a, a' re shewn in the accompanying
drawings at Figures 1 and 2 applied to tennis racket, Figure 1 being front
elevation and Figure 2 a side elovation of a press constructed according to my
invention The arms of the plates a, a¹ embrace a considerable portion of the upper and
lower parts of the racket frame, and one of the plates, that marked a' is provided
with stud bolts b, b' which are fixed thei ein In the example shewn at Figures 1
and 2 the stud bolts b, b¹ me situated one at the top of the plate a' so that when
the press is applied to the rachet the stud bolt 6 passes outside the rachet frame, and
the other bolt passes through the stinging, but I do not limit myself to the precise
positions for the placing of the said bolts
The rachet to be pressed is laid on the plate a² and the plate a is placed over it, the
latter being provided with holes through which the stud bolts project and I then
screw fly-nuts 001 onto the studs and thus draw the two plates a, a' together, and
the racket or rackets, as the case may be, is or are thereby held under pressure, and
any tendency to warping thereby prevented
When desired I may elongate the arms of the plates a, a¹ and bring them further
round the frame of the racket or I may, as is shewn in front and side elevation
respectively at Figures 3 and 4, make the plates a, a¹ somewhat of an oval form or
of form to correspond with the rim of the racket, and provided with studs b, b¹
which in this case are situated at the sides It may be found desirable to place
another stud at top also The Figures 3 and 4 are marked with similar letters of
reference as previously referred to, and the drawing shews the two plates a, a¹ on a
larger scale than at Figures 1 and 2 the racket not being illustrated
Figure 5 shews the plates a, a¹ forming the press arranged so as to be applied to
the sides of the racket otherwise the construction of the said plates and fastenings
are sırılar
Figure 6 shews a form of plates, which I employ for pressing the top of the
rachet or rackets when so desired, in this case the stud bolt passes through the
stringing, and through the upper plate a, and the two are drawn together by a fly-
nut is before

page_text: Figure 7 shews another form of plates which presses the racket frame in six
places around the rim, the construction and action is in other respects similar to those
before described
When pressing a number of rackets the stud bolts are necessarily of greater length,
and the rackets may advantageously be divided from one another by a piece of wood
or other material of suitable shape, for example I may use plain flat metal
separating pieces somewhat of the shape shewn at Figure 3 or as shown at
Figure 7
Where desired the two plates a, a' forming the press need not be duplicates
in shape, for example, I may use such a shaped plate as is shewn at Figure 3 for
a lower plate and the top plate may have the form as shewn at Figure 5
When constructing presses according to my invention, designed to press a number
or rickets, I sometimes provide pieces of wood shaped to fit or cover each end of
the racket and the metal plates are secured to sud pieces of wood, the said metal
plates preventing the wood from warping, or the rachets may be covered by pieces
of wood shaped thereto and the plates a, a' fixed thereon and when thus arranged the
gut or stringing of the rackets is protected from injury
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
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The tennis racket press, consisting of the plates a, a¹ with studs b, b' and nuts c, c¹ all
constructed and arranged substantially as and for the purposes herein described and
illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings