A Protractor or Instrument for Setting Out Lawn Tennis Courts.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Mar., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 21st Dec., 1893-Accepted, 27th Jan., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Protractor or Instrument for Setting Out Lawn Tennis Courts.
JAMES HAROLD ROBERTS Ashurst Lodge Lyndhurst Hants Surveyor do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
A cylinder of wood or other suitable material with a number of grooves arranged
at certain angles, through which sights are taken.
The dial or face exhibits a diagram of a tenuis court with spots of various
colours indicating the several points to be fixed, thus,
a, a, on the drawings represent the green spots which indicate the ends of the
half court line.
b, b, b, b, red spots, indicating angles of court.
c, c, c, c, yellow spots, angles of service lines.
d, d, blue spots, position of net posts.
The coloured spots may be repeated around the cylinder.
The instrument is fitted to the top of a staff of convenient length, which has a
pointed end for fixing into the ground.
A short tape is used in conjunction with the protractor.
It is marked in four
places only, and in colours corresponding with the spots on the dial to which they
respectively relate. No measurements in feet and inches are required.
To set out the court the instrument is fixed in the centre of the ground to be
occupied, the point of the staff being thrust through the ring of the tape, and
uprightly into the ground.
An assistant then extends the tape to its full length and tension, while the
operator takes a sight with his eye about 6 to 9 inches from, and an inch or so
above the dial, directing his vision through one of the grooves towards the
assistant, and downward, so that while taking a sight, the spots through which
the groove cuts may also be seen.
Commencing with, say, the half court line, namely that indicated by the green
spots on the dial, the assistant is directed to move his end of the tape, keeping it
near to the ground, to the right or left as the case may require, until the line of
tape becomes visible through, and coincident with the groove in question, when he
is told to put a peg into the ground at the green mark on the tape.
Now proceed in the same way to fix one angle of the court by taking a sight
through the next groove to the left, marked by the red spots, the assistant inserting
a peg at the red mark on the tape.
Next take the groove with the yellow spots for one angle of the service lines.
Then the groove with the blue spots for the position of the net posts, and so
on until a complete circuit of the instrument has been made, when all the necessary
points will have been pegged out, and the court may then be marked in the
usual way.
The tape is marked for a full size court, but by holding it short at the ring end
any lesser sized court may be set out equally well.
By the use of this instrument a tennis court can be accurately set out in five
minutes, or even less time, and by persons unaccustomed to measurements.
The protractor may be constructed in other forms, such as a hollow cylinder of
metal or other material; or as a plate with erect sights, fixed or folding, and the
points may be marked by letters or figures &c.
Dated this 27th day of March 1893.
DADADTS

page_text: A Protractor or Instrument for Setting Out Lawn Tennis Courts.
JAMES HAROLD ROBERTS Ashurst Lodge Lyndhurst Hants Surveyor 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 :-
This instrument consists of a cylinder of wood having a number of grooves or
slots through its diameter arranged at certain angles as indicated by the double
dotted lines, Fig. 1 on the drawings, and the broad vertical lines in Fig. 2; and at
the top of the cylinder a diagram of a lawn tennis court with coloured spots at the
several points to be fixed Figs. 1 & 2, also corresponding spots at the bottom of
the said grooves or slots near the base of the cylinder Fig. 2. These spots which
indicate the position of the pegs on the ground are lettered on the drawings and
coloured on the instrument, respectively, thus:-a. a. green, for ends of half court
line. b. b. b. b. red, for angles of court. c. c. c. c, yellow for angles of service line.
d. d, blue, position of net posts.
The instrument is fitted to the top of a staff of convenient length which may be
jointed for convenience of carriage, and having a pointed end for fixing into the
ground.
A tape is used in conjunction with the above described instrument having four
marks upon it corresponding respectively with the colours on the diagram and
round the cylinder, and having a loop at one end.
To peg out a tennis court, set up the staff uprightly in the centre of the ground
to be occupied by the court; pass the loop of the tape over the top of the staff and
down to the ground.
Fix the instrument to the top of the staff, ranging the half court line (green
spots on the diagram) in the desired direction. Commencing then with, say the
half court line, the operator takes a sight from either side through the slot marked
with green spots, while an assistant lays out the tape to its full extent (the red
mark thereon) in the line of sight, keeping it close to the ground and moving it to
the right or left as directed by the operator. When the tape is seen through, and
ranging with the slot, the assistant is told to put a peg into the ground at the
green mark on the tape; a white bar thereon indicating the exact spot for the peg.
Now take a sight through the next slot to the left, that marked with red, for one
angle of the court. Then through the slot marked with yellow for one angle of
the service line. Next through the slot with blue spots for one of the net posts-
and so on until a complete circuit of the instrument has been made, the assistant
moving round with the tape as a tether and putting in a peg as directed by the
operator who will call out the colour of the mark to be dealt with, when all the
necessary points will have been pegged out, and the court may then be lined with
string and marker in the usual way.
By shortening the tape at the loop end any court less than a full size one may be
pegged out in the same way equally well.
I do not confine myself to any particular form for the instrument which may be
made in a variety of shapes, and may be hollow, or as a plane with folding or fixed
sights of a different character. Words, letters, figures or other signs may be
adopted in lieu of colours.
Nor do I confine myself to any particular materials or substances for its
construction.
The same observations apply to the tape for which may be substituted a chain,
wire or cord, or any other suitable appliance, and the distances thereon may be
indicated by means other than the use of colours.

page_text: 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-
A novel appliance for setting out or pegging out lawn tennis courts, consisting of
an instrument having a number of sights arranged at certain angles for finding the
direction of the several constructional points of a lawn tennis court, and in con-
junction therewith an appliance for determining the distance of such points, as
heretofore described.
Dated this 19th day of December 1893.
JAMES HAROLD ROBERTS.