Improvements in or connected with Handles of Bats, Hammers, Sticks, or Clubs for Cricket, Tennis, Hockey, Golf, and other Implements Used in Games or Manufactures.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Handles of Bats, Hammers,
Sticks, or Clubs for Cricket, Tennis, Hockey, Golf, and other
Implements Used in Games or Manufactures.
I, JAMES DARLING, of 5, Silk Street, in the City of London,. Traveller, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in or connected with the handles of
such implements as are used for striking other articles: -such as cricket bats,
golf clubs, tennis rackets, hockey clubs or sticks, croquet mallets and hammers.
In the use of such implements the handles are liable to be sprung or broken
and the heads to come off or be lost, besides which the jarring produced is fre-
quently very painful to the user, and difficulty arises in providing a sufficiently
strong handle with a thickness sufficiently reduced to suit the wants of a
particular user. The ordinary cases of fracture of handles of cricket bats, for
instance, arise at a point somewhat above the neck of the bat and only a rela-
tively short distance up the handle, and higher up the fractures are rare.
It has I know been proposed to use steel and other springs or resilient material
bedded in the cane, or in india rubber and other elastic material between portions
of the bat handle, and to affix a spring or springs in the blade and blade portion
of the handle leaving the spring bedded in the upper part of such handle, but
so far as I am aware such constructions have not been wholly satisfactory in
their results.
In carrying out my invention I employ a spring of steel of sufficiently high
temper and resiliency and this spring may be sufficiently long to, in use, reach
from near the top of the handle to about the neck of the bat and be in width
slightly narrower than the handle, so much so in fact as to allow of the cane
or substance of which the handle is mainly composed being continued down on
its edges, so that the metal is all within the cane or the like. The spring on
each side or face-under and upper-is enclosed by a correspondingly shaped
piece of gutta percha, or compositions of gutta percha and other matters,
of resilience and
or compositions having like qualities
not being
liable to change with age and changes of climate. The parts of the en-
casing gutta percha and steel spring may be rivetted together or stayed to the
cane by rivets for which purpose I prefer rivets of copper or like comparatively
soft metal. The fixture of the spring and gutta percha is confined to the upper
portion thereof say less than a half of the length and the lower portion is free
to slide or move relatively to the encasing materials in the flexure of the same;
in the case of bats when the ball is struck with much force, and this lower portion
is slit in a direction at right angles to the plane of the face leaving a very narrow
space between the tongues of metal so produced, and the gutta percha overlay

page_text: piece is similarly treated or slit, whilst that piece next the back of the bat is
left entire.
According to a modification, the handle of the bat or implement, is formed of
two half portions with a steel spring and two pieces of (under lay and overlay)
gutta percha between them, rivetted or secured together as already referred to,
but with the spring and gutta percha strips approximately of the same contour as
the slit or division between the two portions of the handle, only that the spring
is kept slightly within and shorter than the gutta percha, to allow it free
play under stress of use.
By these means an implement provided with such a handle can be used with
better effect and greater ease and safety whilst in case of any severe twisting
strain coming on the blade, or head, injury to the handle is prevented and at
the same time a smarter blow can be delivered.
Sometimes when the spring and its adjacent slips are not fixed by rivets they
may be prevented from working upwards, or out of their proper position by
means of stop pieces, keys, or such like, or equivalent means.
Although have only described the application of one steel spring and its
gutta percha bed and cover slips, there may be more than one set of such parts
applied in slits or spaces in the handle one above the other in corresponding
planes.
1
1
001
1
1000
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.
İmprovements in or connected with Handles of Bats, Hammers
Sticks, or Clubs for Cricket, Tennis, Hockey, Golf, and other
Implements used in Games or Manufactures.
I, JAMES DARLING, of 5, Silk Street, in the City of London, Traveller, 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 follow-
ing statement:—
This invention relates to improvements in, or connected with, the handles
of such implements as are used for striking other articles:-such as cricket bats,
golf-clubs, tennis rackets, hockey clubs or sticks, croquet mallets and hammers.
In the use of such implements the handles are liable to be sprung, or broken
and the heads to come off, or be lost, besides which the jarring produced is fre-
quently very painful to the user, and difficulty arises in providing a sufficiently
strong handle with a thickness sufficiently reduced to suit the wants of a
particular user. The ordinary cases of fracture of handles of cricket bats for
instance, arise at a point somewhat above the neck of the bat and only a rela-
tively short distance up the handle, and higher up the fractures are rare.
It has I know been proposed to use steel and other springs, or resilient
material bedded in the cane, or in india rubber and other elastic material be-
tween portions of the bat handle, and to affix a spring, or springs in the blade
and blade portion of the handle leaving the spring bedded in the upper part of
such handle, but so far as I am aware such constructions have not been wholly
satisfactory in their results.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a longitudinal section of a handle (here proportioned as for a
cricket bat) taken on a line at right angles to the plane of the bat face.
Fig. 2 is a section, transversely of Fig. 1, on the line x-x.
Fig. 3 shows an internal view, or plan looking at the back half of the handle
with the spring in position.
Fig. 4 shows a like view of the corresponding or front half of the handle.
Fig. 5 is an external view of the handle with covering applied.
In carrying out my invention I employ a spring a of steel, of sufficiently
high temper and resiliency and this spring a may be sufficiently long to, in
use, reach from towards the top of the handle to about the neck 63 of the
bat and be in width slightly narrower than the handle, so much so in fact as to
allow of the cane, or substance, 63 of which the handle is mainly composed
being continued down on its edges, so that the metal is all within the cane or
the like. The spring a on each side or face-under and upper-is enclosed by a
correspondingly shaped piece of gutta perchia c, or compositions of gutta percha
and other matters, or compositions having like qualities of resilience and not
being liable to change with age and changes of climate. The parts c¹² of the
encasing gutta percha c and steel spring a may be rivetted together, or stayed,
to the cane b by rivets d d. The fixture of the spring a and gutta percha e is
confined to the upper portion thereof say less than a half of the length, or say
from a to a¹ and the lower, or free tongue portion is free to slide, or move rela-
tively to the encasing materials in the flexure of the same in the case of bats
when the ball is struck with much force; and this lower portion is, preferably,
slit at a³ in a direction at right angles to the plane of the face of the slip leaving
a very narrow space between the tongues of metal so produced, and the gutta
percha overlay piece is similarly treated or slit at ³, whilst that piece next
the back of the bat is left entire.
According to a modification, the handle of the bat or implement, is formed of
two half portions with a steel spring and two pieces of (under lay and overlay)
gutta percha between them, rivetted or secured together as already referred to,
but with the spring and gutta percha strips approximately of the same contour
as the slit or division between the two portions of the handle, only that the
spring is kept slightly within and shorter than the gutta percha, to allow it free
play under stress of use. By these means an implement provided with such a
handle can be used with better effect and greater ease and safety whilst in case
of any severe twisting strain coming on the blade, or head, injury to the handle
is prevented and at the same time a smarter blow can be delivered; whilst after
flexure by the strain of a blow instant recovery of the normal position of the
parts is attained.
Sometimes when the spring and its adjacent slips are not fixed by rivets they
may be prevented. from working upwards, or out of their proper position by
means of stop pieces, keys or such like, or equivalent means.
Although I have only described the application of one steel spring and its
gutta percha bed and cover slips, there may be more than one set of such parts
applied in slits, or spaces, in the handle one above the other in corresponding
planes.
Throughout this description of my invention where I have made use of the
word "gutta percha" I design to include in that expression all compositions or
equivalent known material adapted to the purpose set forth.
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:
In a cricket bat handle, or other handle to which the improvement is applic-
ohlo the use of a steal spring or springs fastened towards the end away from the

page_text: striking part and preferably split for a portion of the length from the free or
tongue end or ends, and packed between layers or beds of resilient material such
as gutta percha or its equivalent, substantially as described and shown by the
drawings.
the 28th day of July 1899.
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55/56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.