IMPROVEMENTS IN HANDLES FOR RACKETS OR LAWN TENNIS BATS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Otway Edward Woodhouse, of 20, Upper Phillimore
Gardens, Kensington, in the County of Middlesex, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN HANDLES FOR RACKETS OR LAWN TENNIS BATS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Otway Edward Woodhouse
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th February 1881.
OTWAY EDWARD WOODHOUSE, of 20, Upper Phillimore Gardens, Kensington, in
the County of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN HANDLES FOR RACKETS OR LAWN
TENNIS BATS."
This Invention of improvements in handles for rackets or lawn tennis bats
relates to the form of the handle, which is designed to assist the player in
accommodating his hand to the position where his hand should be to give an
effective stroke in those positions of the ball during the game requiring different
manipulations of the bat.
In the game of lawn tennis the strokes of the bat may be classed into serving or
service strokes, and into volleying or taking the ball full pitch, and occassionally a
short twist stroke requires that the bat shall be held very close to the face of the
bat; there are therefore three degrees of position of the hand upon the bat handle,
service stroke at the end of the handle, volley stroke at the middle of the handle,
and a short twist stroke at the end nearest to the face; this necessary place for the
hand to play effectively is very difficult of acquisition, owing to the player having
to watch the ball and finding great difficulty in adjusting his hand, from the
sameness of diameter of the handle, to the exact place required, and as this has to
be repeated continually during the game, any means of securing this adjustment
without thought and by some almost automatic means would be very desirable.
I accomplish this by dividing the handle into one or more divisions, preferably
into three, that is, there are three bulges made on the handle or two depressions,
that is, the handle whether square or round is made of uneven diameter by
reducing the stock of the handle at these two reduced places, consequently the
handle is now divided into three portions, each bulbous or larger than the two reduced

page_text: portions. These reduced portions form stops for the hand, and divisions by which
the hand readily and mechanically takes its position, and also prevents the bat
from slipping through the hand. Whether the handle is made to this shape by
reducing the stock as described, or by adding to the stock where the bulbous
portions are, is immaterial, that being merely a question of manufacturing detail.
The handle may be described as undulating on each face or having wave
outlines.
The player with this novel handle has now the means of adjusting his hand to
the three positions described almost automatically, and without taking his attention
from the play of the ball.
The depressions in the handle serve to give grip for the hand and to prevent
slipping, and the bulges allow the hand to arrest the slip of the handle through the
hand when changing position.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Otway Edward Woodhouse in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th August 1881.
OTWAY EDWARD WOODHOUSE.
LAWN TENNIS BATS."
"IMPROVEMENTS IN HANDLES FOR RACKETS OR
This Invention of improvements in handles for rackets or lawn tennis bats
relates to the form of the handle, which is designed to assist the player in
accommodating his hand to the position where his hand should be to give an
effective stroke in those positions of the ball during the game requiring different
manipulations of the bat.
In the game of lawn tennis the strokes of the bat may be classed into serving or
service strokes, and into volleying or taking the ball full pitch, and occassionally a
short twist stroke requires that the bat shall be held very close to the face of the
bat; there are therefore three degrees of position of the hand upon the bat handle,
service stroke at the end of the handle, volley stroke at the middle of the
handle, and a short twist stroke at the end nearest to the face; this necessary
place for the hand to play effectively is very difficult of acquisition, owing to
the player having to watch the ball and finding great difficulty in adjusting
his hand, from the sameness of diameter of the handle, to the exact place required,
and as this has to be repeated continually during the game, any means of securing
this adjustment without thought and by some almost automatic means would be
very desirable.
I accomplish this by dividing the handle into one or more divisions according to
the desires of the player, whether he wishes the bat to have one division and two
positions, two divisions and two positions, or three divisions and three positions,
preferably into three, that is, there are three bulges made on the handle or two
depressions, that is, the handle whether square or round is made of uneven diameter
by reducing the stock of the handle at these two reduced places, consequently the
handle is now divided into three positions, each bulbous or larger than the two reduced
portions. These reduced portions form stops for the hand, and divisions by which
the hand readily and mechanically takes its position, and also prevents the bat
from slipping through the hand, and also materially increasing the facility with
which the hand grips the handle. Whether the handle is made to this shape by
reducing the stock as described, or by adding to the stock where the bulbous
portions are, is immaterial, that being merely a question of manufacturing detail.
The handle may be described as undulating on each face or having wave
outlines.
The player with this novel handle has now the means of adjusting his hand to
the three positions described almost automatically, and without taking his attention
from the play of the ball.
The depressions in the handle serve to give grip for the hand and to prevent
slipping, and the bulges allow the hand to arrest the slip of the handle through the
hand when changing position.
In the Drawings forming part of this Specification,―
Figure 1 is the plan of the handle of a lawn tennis or racket bat fitted with
these improvements.
Figure 2, elevation or view on edge of Figure 1.
Figure 3, plan of the handle of a lawn tennis or racket bat fitted with a
modification of the form shewn in Figure 1, and Figure 4 an elevation or view on
edge of Figure 3.
In Figures 1 and 2 the bulges are less undulating or formed by segments of
curved lines, which lines would intersect at points d, e.

page_text: In Figures 2 and 3 the bulges are formed by wave curves, the depressions d¹
and e¹ not forming intersecting curves.
In principle they are the same to afford grip to the hand and distinguish the
point where the hand shall hold the bat, and the way in which these depressions
and bulges shall be made is simply a question for the manufacturer; the form may
be cut out of the solid wood or it may be built up in layers of wood or other
suitable material to the desired form, or partly in one method and partly in
another; in place of intersecting curves or undulating curves, the bulges and
depressions may be made by straight lines, thus diamonding the handle to give the
desired form. If the bat handle is not square but oblong in section, the hand can
more readily give the angle required to the face of the bat.
Having now described and particularly set forth the nature of the said Invention,
and the manner of carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that
what I claim is, the giving to the handle of a lawn tennis or racket bat the form
substantially as described for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Otway Edward Woodhouse, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of August, in the year. of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
OTWAY E. WOODHOUSE. (L.S.)