Improvements in the Manufacture of Bats for Tennis, Racquets, and the like.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Oct., 1886.
Complete Left, 18th Feb., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 18th Mar., 1887.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Bats for Tennis, Racquets,
and the like.
I DOUGLAS ALLFORT of No. 7 St. Benet Place London EC. Merchant de harahy
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
My invention relates to an improvement in the stringing of tennis bats and racquets
by using a combination of wire and gut (or similar material) which latter may be
covered with fine wire in the form of what is called fisherman's gimp. I am aware
that both gimp and wire have been already tried separately as substitutes for gut,
but neither has been found satisfactory, the wire alone being too rigid, and the gimp
alone having less strength and more liability to become slack than gut of equal thick-
ness. I have found that a combination of the two materials gives very satisfactory
results, the wire strands supporting the gimp or gut, and counteracting the tendency
to become slack, while not giving such rigidity as to diminish the driving power of
the bat.
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to an improvement in the stringing of tennis bats and racquets
by using a combination of wire and gut (or similar material) which latter may be
covered with fine wire in the form of what is called fisherman's gimp. I am aware
that both gimp and wire have been already tried separately as substitutes for gut,
but neither has been found satisfactory, the wire alone being too rigid, and the gimp
alone having less strength and more liability to become slack than gut of equal thick-
ness. I have found that a combination of the two materials gives very satisfactory
results, the wire strands supporting the gimp or gut, and counteracting the tendency
to become slack, while not giving such rigidity as to diminish the driving power of
the bat.

page_text: Improvements in the Manufacture of Bats for Tennis, Racquets,
and the like.
I DOUGLAS ALLPORT of No. 7 St. Benet Place London E.C. 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 :-
My invention relates to an improvement in the stringing of tennis-bats and racquets
by the partial substitution of wire for the gut usually employed. The metal strings
may be used either alternately or in any other arrangement with the gut, covered gut,
or other similar material; but the plan prefer is to use the metal for cross-stringing
the centre part of the bat only, where the greatest strain and wear are to be ex-
pected. The wire may be of any metal preferred, and of any section, plain or com-
posed of several strands or covered or wrapped. I have found a plain wire of about
18 guage or covered piano wire of a size larger answer well. In all cases it is
desirable to provide a soft or somewhat elastic bed for the wire at the points where it
is bent and would otherwise bind on the wooden frame of the bat. This I prefer to accom-
plish by forming a recess in the outer edge of the frame between the holes through
which the string passes, and placing in this recess a piece of cork, india-rubber or
other elastic material, preferably rounded on its upper surface, upon which the wire
binds in passing from one hole to the next. This material which forms an elastic
cushion for the wire at the point where the greatest stress occurs, may be covered with
leather or any material preferred to protect it from being cut by the wire. I also
diminish the strain by lining the holes through which the wire passes with cork or
other elastic material, or by encasing the wire where it passes through the wood in a
similar substance.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :
1. The combination in a tennis-bat or racquet of wire or metal strings as described,
with gut or similar material, covered or not.
2. The method of stringing with wire by passing it through or over an elastic
material such as cork or india-rubber, at the points when would otherwise pass
through or over the material of the frame.