Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Aug., 1887
Complete Left, 8th May, 1888
Complete Accepted, 22nd June, 1888
We FREDERICK HENRY AYRES of 111 Aldersgate Street in the City of London
Manufacturer and ANDREW FOSTER of 70 Estcourt Road Watford in the County of
Herts Wood Turner do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The improvements relate to lawn tennis rackets or such rackets or bats and have
for their object to prevent the breaking of the bats under the strain of blows in play
or otherwise at the shoulder or thereabouts.
To effect this object we fix in between the inner surface of the frame of the bat and
the outer surface of the wedge piece or gusset a strip or sheet of elastic material
applied so that these surfaces of the bat may take a strong tenacious hold of the
elastic material and resist separation in use.
The method of construction we prefer to adopt is to place the frame and wedge
piece with the elastic material in between them properly coated with glue or cement
on the uniting surfaces and then the whole is under pressure allowed to set.
To facilitate the proper union of the elastic material say for instance the best red
rubber we first prepare the same in sheet coated with textile fabric on both sides or
with textile fabric coated and embedded, whereby a more secure hold for the glue
or cement is provided.
The holes in the frame to receive the strings we make single or separate and central
for a certain distance on each side of the wedge piece and these holes we bush or
eyelet with metal or like hard material either throughout or only partly through the
diameter of the frame and with more or less of a flange on one or both surfaces, so
as to increase the strength of the frame by limiting the extent of the material
weakened by these perforations and to lessen the tendency of the stringing to split
the wood and otherwise strengthen the article.
The handle of the racket may be finished off in any ordinary manner.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Lawn Tennis and such like Rackets or Bats.
We FREDERICK HENRY AYRES of 111 Aldersgate Street in the City of London
Manufacturer, and ANDREW FOSTER of 70 Estcourt Road, Watford in the County of
Herts, Wood Turner 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 :-
The improvements relate to lawn tennis rackets or such like rackets or bats and
have for their object to prevent the breaking of the bats under the strain of blows in
play or otherwise at the shoulder or thereabouts.
To effect this object we fix in between the inner surface of the frame a, a¹ of the
bat and the outer surface of the wedge piece b or gusset, or of wedge b and central
part c, a strip or sheet of elastic material d applied so that these surfaces of the bat
may take a strong tenacious hold of the elastic material and resist separation in use.
The method of construction we prefer to adopt is as shown in the drawing to place
the frame a and wedge piece 6 with the elastic material d in between them properly
coated with glue or cement on the uniting surfaces and then submit the whole
properly secured in relative position to pressure until the parts by the setting of the
cement are permanently secured.
To facilitate the proper union of the elastic material say for instance the best rod
rubber (that being the material found by experiment excellently suitable for the
purpose), we first prepare the same in sheet coated with textile fabric e on both sides
or with textile fabric coated and embedded, whereby a more secure hold for the glue
or cement is provided.
The holes a in the frame a to receive the strings we make single or separate and
central for a certain distance on each side of the wedge piece b and to these holes we
apply bushes or eyelets f,f, of metal or like hard material either throughout or only
partly through the diameter of the frame a and with more or less of a Hange on one
or both surfaces, so as to increase the strength of the frame by limiting the extent of
the material weakened by these perforations and to lessen the tendency of the
stringing to split the wood, and otherwise strengthen the article.
The handle of the racket may be finished off in any ordinary manner.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a face view of a tennis racket drawn to a reduced scale-the stringing
being omitted as it forms no portion of the invention. a is the frame of the head,
continued down at a¹ a' on both sides of the tongue or wedge at 6 6 and having
interposed between a¹ a¹ and b on each side of the central part c and tongue 6 an
elastic layer d secured as before described in order to resist strain. ff are eyelets to
take the strain of the strings, and f1f1 washers to be applied thereover to widen the
base bearing strain.
9 is the usual cross rivet. h is the usual overlay to the handle.

page_text: Figure 2 is a portion of the handle, and Figure 3 a section thereof, to a larger
scale.
Figure 4 shews an exterior view and cross section of the eyelet and washer.
Figures 5 & 6 are details of these parts separately.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is
1. In the construction or manufacture and use of rackets for playing games the
interposition between the parts of the frame of strips or sheets of elastic material such
as red cured india rubber cemented to the parts of the frame preferably coating the
rubber with or embedding therein textile fabric to facilitate adhesion of the parts in
manner and for the purpose substantially as set forth.
2. The manufacture and use of rackets for playing games having interposed elastic
material cemented to the frame and with means for fortifying the union of the frame
and stringing as and for the purpose set forth.