Raiser and Collector for Lawn Tennis Balls or other Balls or Articles.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 20th June, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 4th Apr., 1891-Accepted, 9th May, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Raiser and Collector for Lawn Tennis Balls or other Balls
or Articles.
I ERNEST LATHAM of 11 Queen Victoria Street in the City of London
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention has reference to an apparatus or device for raising and collecting
balls, such as lawn tennis balls, racket balls, croquet balls, golf balls or balls used
commonly in other games, or for raising spherical or elliptical objects or other
objects approaching such forms; which may be found in number upon the ground
and which it is desired to pick up rapidly and collect without stooping and without
much exertion or any special skill.
My invention consists essentially in a basket or receptacle formed with a hollow
leg or tube, provided with a collecting device at the bottom and so arranged that
whilst the objects to be raised can pass into it, they are retained and prevented
from falling out, and are free to pass up the hollow leg or tube into the basket or
receptacle, as successive objects are collected.
The basket or receptacle may be made of wicker, cance, wire, leather, papier
maché, metal, wood, or other suitable material and the hollow leg or tube may be
made of same material as basket or one of one material and the other of another.
The collecting device consists of a resilient termination to the hollow leg or
tube and is formed of spring clips or clips operated by springs made of metal,
cane whalebone, or other suitable material. In some cases I employ, instead of
or in addition to, the said spring clips, indiarubber woodite or other elastic material
in the form of a diaphragm or in strips having an opening smaller than the objects
to be collected. In each case the object being to allow the collecting device to
freely receive the article but to prevent it passing back.
The apparatus may be formed with a base or series of legs upon which it can
stand or the stand can be separate and so arranged that upon placing the apparatus
upon said stand all the objects contained in hollow leg or tube will be forced up
into the basket or receptacle. One of the principal uses of my invention is in the
game of lawn tennis, in which game it is frequently necessary to stoop to pick up
and collect balls, during the progress or after the termination of the game-but it
will be obvious that it can be applied for other purposes.
In operating my invention the apparatus, which is provided with a suitable
handle, is carried by the user and is placed over the ball or object and gently
pressed upon it so that the collecting device opens and receives it, successive objects
raising those previously collected and forcing them up the hollow leg or tube,
whence they fall or run into the basket or receptacle.
In some cases I may dispense with the basket and use the hollow leg or tube
as the receptacle for the objects.
1000
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Raiser and Collector for Lawn Tennis Balls or other Balls
or Articles.
ERNEST LATHAM of 11 Queen Victoria Street London E.C. Engineer 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 has reference to an apparatus or device for raising and collecting,

page_text: balls, such as tennis balls, racquet balls, croquet, golf balls, or balls used commonly
in other games. Or for raising spherical or elliptical objects, or other objects
approaching such forms which may be found in numbers upon the ground &
which it is desired to pick up rapidly & collect without stooping & without much
exertion or any special skill.
My invention consists essentially in a basket or receptacle formed with a hollow
leg or tube provided with a collecting device at the bottom and so arranged that
whilst the objects to be raised can pass into it, they are retained and prevented
from falling out & are free to pass up the hollow leg or tube into the basket or
receptacle as successive objects are collected.
The basket or receptacle may be made of wicker, canc, wire, leather, papier
maché, metal, wood or other suitable material, & the hollow leg or tube may be
made of the same material as the basket, or one of one material & the other of
another.
The collecting device consists of a resilient termination to the hollow leg or
tube & is formed of spring clips, (or clips operated by springs) made of metal,
cane, whalebone or other suitable material in the form of a diaphragm or in strips
having an opening smaller than the object to be collected. In each case the object
being to allow the collecting device to freely receive the article, but to prevent it
passing back.
The apparatus may be formed with a base or series of legs upon which it can
stand, or the stand can be separate and so arranged that upon placing the apparatus
upon the said stand all the objects contained in the hollow leg or tube will be
forced up into the basket or receptacle.
One of the principal uses of my invention is in the game of lawn tennis in
which game it is necessary to frequently stoop to pick up & collect balls, during
the progress or after the termination of the game, but it will be obvious that it
can be applied for other purposes.
In operating my invention, the apparatus which is provided with a suitable
handle is carried by the user & is placed over the ball or object & gently pressed
upon it so that the collecting device opens & receives it, successive objects raising
those previously collected & forcing them up the hollow leg or tube whence they
fall or run into the basket or receptacle.
In some cases I may dispense with the basket & use the hollow leg or tube as
the receptacle for the objects.
I will now proceed to describe my invention reference being had to the drawings
of which,
Fig. 1. is an elevation of my improved tennis-ball raiser & collector shewing
the apparatus in position ready to collect a ball.
Fig. 2. shows the collecting device with the spring clips extended in passing
over the ball.
Fig. 3. is a sectional elevation shewing the apparatus placed upon its pillar or
stand by which latter the balls are forced up the hollow tube into the basket or
receptacle.
Fig. 4. is an arrangement shewing another form of collecting device dispensing
with the spring clips & substituting a canvas diaphragm and india-rubber ring.
Fig. 5. shews a further arrangement of collecting device, consisting of a series
of balls attached to the ends of resilient rods, the said rods in some cases being
assisted in their return to their normal position by an india-rubber ring.
Fig. 6. is a plan of same.
Fig. 7. illustrates an arrangement of my raiser to which a handle is attached to
enable balls to be gathered from flower beds, or other places where it is not desirable
for the operator to tread.
Fig. 8. shews another arrangement for a like purpose.
Referring to Fig. 1.
a is a basket or receptacle made of metal, wicker, cane, wire or other suitable
material & formed with a hollow tube or leg b, the lower end of the said tube has

page_text: a collecting device which consists of spring clips e which will spring out when
pressed upon the ball c and as scon as the projectors e of the clips have passed
the centre of the ball, the ball will be received within the tube or leg and the
clips closing to their normal position the ball is prevented from falling out. Fig. 1
shews the position when a ball is about to be collected and Fig. 2 shews the
position when the clips are extended & about to pass the centre of the ball.
When not in use the basket & tube is kept on the stand (Fig. 3) which can be
made of wood, metal or other suitable material. The stand terminates with a
spherical or partly spherical top g, having a depression g' at the top; the
lower portion is formed with a circular groove which receives the spring
clipse, e. The stand is supported by legs or a suitable base-plate. When
required to collect balls the apparatus consisting of the basket & leg or tube, is
pulled off the stand by placing the foot upon one of the legs or base-plate &
drawing the apparatus up by the handle k. The balls c are collected by pressing
the spring clips upon them and each successive one forcing those above it up the
tube or leg b. When sufficient have been collected the apparatus is placed on its
stand the knob gg thereby forcing all the balls up the tube or leg into the
basket a as will be seen in Fig. 3. The projectors e of the spring clips engage
with the groove & thereby enable the whole apparatus with its stand to be
carried by means of the handle k.
Instead of the spring clips above referred to I sometimes employ an arrange-
ment such as shewn in Fig. 4. In this case I form a diaphragm of canvas or
other suitable material & containing an elastic ring m which is normally of less
diameter than the ball c. On pressing down the tube & the elastic ring is expanded
& passes over the ball as shewn in Fig. 4.
In other cases I employ an arrangement such as shewn in Figs. 5 & 6 in which
the collecting device is formed with a series of rods or bars n having at their
lower ends balls or knobs & forming in themselves the tube . The rods or
bars are capable of moving or springing outwards & are retained in their normal
position by an elastic band g. It will be seen that when the said knobs are pressed
upon a ball c they will be forced outwards & will return to their normal position
when the ball c has passed within the tube b.
C
C
My improved apparatus can be employed for gathering and collecting balls from
flower beds or other places where it is not desirable for the operator to stand.
Fig. 7 shews an arrangement for this purpose. In this case the tube b is curved
& the apparatus is operated by means of a handle or bar r, the balls c as they are
gathered pass into the tube & can be removed at the end w. Fig. 8 shews
another arrangement for the same purpose, the tube being vertical & having if
required a basket or receptacle at the top x. The handle or bar s is retained by
a socket attached to the tube b.
It will be obvious that various modifications other than those described can be
made without departing from the essential features of my invention.
Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, & in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. In an apparatus for raising & collecting tennis or other balls or similar
articles the use of a hollow tube or guide having at its lower end spring clips or
their equivalent by which the balls are collected & prevented from returning,
substantially as described.
2. In an apparatus for raising & collecting tennis balls or other similar
articles the use of a stand such as substantially as described for the purpose
mentioned.
3. The use of the collecting device substantially as described with reference to
Fig. 5 of the drawings for the purpose specified.
4. The use of the collecting device substantially as described with reference to
Fig. 4 of the drawings.

page_text: 5. The apparatus for gathering balls or similar articles from places where it is
not desirable for the operator to stand substantially as described with reference to
Figs. 7 & 8 of the drawings.
6. Apparatus for raising & collecting tennis or other balls or articles substantially
as described.
Dated this 14th day of Maren 1831.
Vitness,
CHARLES INGREY,
91, Queen Victoria Street, London,
Agent for Applicant.
ERNEST LATHAM.