Lawn Tennis or other Purposes.
Year: 1885

page_text: Lawn Tennis or other Purposes.
I, EDGAR CONISTON MILLS of Northwold, Dunham Massey in the county of
Chester, Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR MARKING COURTS OR LINES FOR LAWN TENNIS
.OR OTHER PURPOSES to be as follows:-
In the front wall of the box or cistern which contains the fluid or mixture
used for marking I form a slot slightly wider than the desired width of the line.
A wheel with smooth flat unbroken sides and made of wood or a suitable hard
composition or rustless metal is mounted in bearings outside but near to the slotted
front wall of the box and a considerable portion of the wheel projects into the box
through the slot. The wheel runs on the ground and is of such a size that the
bottom of the box is kept off the ground while the top of the wheel is a little
above the level of the fluid in the box when it is as full as is required.
a
"
In order to make good the joint up the two sides of the wheel and on the lower
periphery where it enters the box and also in order to remove the fluid from the
upper portion of the two sides of the wheel where in revolving it moves outwards
I use
U" shaped piece of india-rubber, insertion or other suitable flexible and
elastic material cut out of sheet about of an inch thick and mounted upon
inclined pieces along the inside of the edges of the before-mentioned slot in such
position that the three inner edges of the "U" shaped piece of material press or
rest in a slanting direction against the sides and lower periphery of the wheel and
their direction is towards the inside of the box so that the pressure of the fluid
therein tends to still further press the. material against the wheel.. The angle
however must be sufficiently acute that the upper portion of the wheel advancing
as it does towards the material shall not have sufficient friction to carry the latter
with it and so lock the wheel. The marking fluid is retained on the periphery of
the wheel carried round and deposited at once on the ground. The said periphery
is of the required width of the line and it may be flat or slightly convex. Two
other small wheels may be provided to carry the hinder part of the box and also
ordinary guiding handles.
4-7
To prevent soil, grass, or other dirt from getting into the machine or clogging
the wheel I use a small scraper operating between the point of contact of the
wheel with the ground and the point where it re-enters the box..
;

page_text: Lawn Tennis or other Purposes.
I EDGAR CONISTON MILLS of Northwold Altrincham in the county of Chester
Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for MARKING
COURTS OR LINES FOR LAWN TENNIS OR OTHER PURPOSES and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
=
...
In the front wall of a box or cistern which contains the fluid or mixture used
for marking I form a slot slightly wider than the desired width of the line.
A wheel with smooth flat unbroken sides made of wood or a suitable hard com-
position or of rustless metal is mounted in bearings outside but near to the slotted
front wall of the box and a considerable portion of the wheel projects into the
box through the slot. The wheel runs on the ground and is of such a size that
the bottom of the box is kept off the ground while the top of the wheel is a little
above the level of the fluid in the box when it is as full as is required.
On the accompanying sheet of drawings Fig. I is a side elevation of the
machine.
Fig. II is an end elevation.
Fig. III is a sectional plan taken through the line x, x.
Fig. IV shows the form in which the rubber sheet is cut as will hereafter be
described.
".
In all the views similar letters of reference refer to the same parts.
a. is the tank or cistern with an opening or slot b. in its front wall.
The wheel or disc c. is mounted in bearings d. outside the box. The level of
the fluid in the tank when as full as is required is indicated by the dotted lines,
as is also the direction of motion of the tank and wheel by arrows.
handles by which the machine is manipulated.
e. e. are the
In order to make good the joint up the two sides of the wheel c. and on the
point of its periphery where it enters the tank at f. and also in order to remove or
scrape the fluid from the upper portion of the two sides of the 'wheel' where in
revolving it moves outwards I use a "U" shaped piece of rubber, insertion, or
other suitable flexible and elastic material. This is shewn at g. in Figs. I. II
and III. and Fig. IV shews it as cut from the sheet and before being applied to
the machine. It is mounted upon inclined pieces h. along the inside edges of the
slot b and a corresponding piece on the underside. It is thus held as shewn' in
the drawing with its inner edges resting against the sides and lower periphery of
the wheel in a slanting direction towards the inside of the tank. The pressure of
the fluid therein then tends to press the material g. against the wheel.
99. I
Two other small wheels k. are used to carry the hinder part of the tank and
when it is required to remove the machine without marking it is tilted back and
run entirely on these wheels. To prevent soil grass or other dirt from getting into
the machine I provide a small scraper l. fixed between the point of contact of the
wheel with the ground and the point where it re-enters the tank.

page_text: The action will be readily understood. The machine being propelled forwards
in the direction of the straight arrow the front wheel revolves as shewn by its
arrow. All the fluid adhering to the periphery of the wheel is carried forward
out of the tank and deposited at once on the ground while no leakage at any
other point can take place by reason of the preventive action of the rubber g.
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 use and construction of tennis or other lawn markers in which sheet
india-rubber or similar material is placed in an inclined position for the purpose
of preventing leakage at the aperture through which the marking wheel projects
or works substantially as herein before described.
2. The application of a "U" shaped piece of sheet india-rubber or similar
material in machines for marking lines upon ground substantially as and for the
purposes hereinbefore described.
3. The use and construction of a marking wheel or disc the surface of whose
sides as well as periphery is unbroken substantially as and for the purposes herein-
before described.