Certain Improvements in Racquets for the Games of Tennis, Lawn. Tennis, and the like
Year: 1897

page_text: Certain Improvements in Racquets for the Games of Tennis, Lawn.
Tennis, and the like..
WILLIAM FOSTER FLETCHER, 5, Grantham Road,' Smethwick, Clerk, do, here-
by declare the nature of this invention to be as follows: —
My invention, consists in the employment, of aluminium,. either pure or
mixed with an alloy of other suitable metal, in the constructions of the frames
and handles of racquets used in the games of tennis,. .lawn. tennis & the. like.
The object of my, invention is the production of a racquet which will not be.
liable to warp, as the ordinary wooden ones are, when.exposed to damp or excep-
tional heat..
:
The frames of my improved racquets can be of aluminium either pure or
mixed with an alloy of other suitable metal, either cast to the requisite shape,
or made of rod or wire of an oval, or any other suitable section & bent by means
of tools to the proper shape. Holes will be perforated in. the. frames
& the gut will be laced therein after the same style as in. the ordinary wooden
racquets. The frames can be of solid metal, & in this form, on account of special
lightness of the aluminium, the frames will still be made equally light and.
strong as the ordinary wooden ones, but they will not be so thick' as the wooden
ones. The frames can also be made hollow in the centre, when they would.
more nearly approach the thickness of the ordinary wooden frames, & when
made in this tubular form, eyelets may be inserted in the perforations in order
to prevent the gut being cut or frayed by the sharp edges of the frames.
The frames of my improved racquets can also be made partly of wood, and
partly of aluminium, either pure or mixed with an alloy of other suitable metal.
When the frames are made. of wood and the metal combined, a strip or strips
of metal and wood will be bent to the requisite shape, and perforations will be
made through the layers, forming the frame, in the same manner as in the
ordinary all wood frames.
The handles of my improved racquets can be made of wood as in the ordinary
wooden racquets or they can be made of aluminium, either pure or mixed with
an alloy of other suitable metal.
The frames will be attached to the handles by rivets pins or other means.
D

page_text: Certain Improvements in Racquets for the Games of Tennis, Lawn
Tennis, and the like.
I, WILLIAM FOSTER FLETCHER, of No. 5, Grantham Road, Smethwick, in the
County of Stafford, Clerk, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
This invention consists of the herein described improvements in racquets for
use in the games of tennis, lawn tennis and the like, the object of my invention
being to produce a racquet which will not be liable to warp when exposed to
damp or exceptional heat as is the case in the ordinary wooden racquets.
In carrying out my invention I employ aluminium either pure or alloyed with
some other metal in the construction of the frames of the racquets as I will now
describe by referring to the accompanying drawing on which Fig. 1 is an eleva-
tion of a racquet constructed according to this invention; Fig. 2 is a side view
of the same; Fig. 3 is an elevation and cross section on an enlarged scale of part
of the frame of the racquet shewn by Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 4 is a cross section and
elevation of part of another form of my improved racquet frame; Figs. 5, 6 and 7
are cross sections of further modified forms of the said frame.
The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all
the figures.
In carrying out my invention I make the frame A of the racquet of a rod or
bar of aluminium or aluminium alloy of any suitable cross section such for in-
stance as represented by Fig. 3 which is a solid flattened oval section. . This bar
is bent to the usual looped form as shewn by Fig. 1 and secured to the sides of
the wooden handle B by screws c. The frame A is perforated with the necessary
holes (as are the frames of wooden racquets) for the gut to be laced 'through,
and in that part of the bow A which may come in contact with the ground every
two adjacent holes d are connected together by a cross slot e in which the gut
will lie. In order to strengthen the frame A the bow part say from X to X in
Fig. 1 may be made of extra thickness. By making the frame A of aluminium
or aluminium alloy as above described the racquet will be unaffected by damp
or by the heat of the atmosphere. In order to protect the gut where it is laced
through the holes on the outside of the frame and also to strengthen the frame
the latter may be made of the section shewn by Fig. 4 which is channel section
with a bead or rib al along each side between which are the holes through which
the gut is laced these ribs a¹ being on the outside of the frame and thus pro-
tecting the gut from coming into contact with the ground.
Or the bar of aluminium or aluminium alloy of which the racquet frame A
is formed may have the cross sectional shape shewn by Fig. 5 which is some-
what like a double headed rail the holes d for the gut being drilled through the
web. This section makes a rigid and strong frame and the heads a¹ a¹ protect
the gut from contact with the ground.
The frame A may if desired be made of a tube of aluminium or aluminium
alloy of an oval section, such for instance as represented by Fig. 6, so that the
outside of the frame will then be of about the same shape as the ordinary wooden
frame. In this case in order to prevent the gut being cut where it passes through
the holes in the tube it is preferable to fix an eyelet in each of the said holes.
According to another method of constructing the racquet frame A in accord-
ance with this invention the frame A is made of wood of the section for instance
as shewn by Fig. 7 and is strengthened by a strip f of aluminium or aluminium

page_text: alloy rivetted or otherwise fixed thereto and arranged inside or outside the
frame.
The handle part B of the racquet is by preference made of wood as in the
ordinary wooden racquets and the frame A is attached to the handle by means
of rivets or screws C as in wooden racquets.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. A racquet for tennis lawn tennis and the like having its frame A made
of aluminium or of aluminium alloy in any of the several ways substantially as
described and illustrated.
2. A racquet for tennis lawn tennis and the like having its frame A made
of wood combined with and strengthened by a surrounding strip or band or
aluminium or aluminium alloy substantially as described and illustrated by
Fig. 7.
e A
1000
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.