Improvements in Footballs.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Oct., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 27th June, 1890-Accepted, 2nd Aug., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Footballs.
I, FREDERICK HENRY AYRES of 111 Aldersgate Street, in the City of London,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
This invention relates to the manufacture of balls for use in playing the game of
football.
The object of the invention is to render the balls on their exterior at the part where
the lacing is usually placed as nearly smooth as the rest of the surface of the ball as
possible, so as to avoid projecting parts such as the present lacing, liable to cut the
face of the players in the event of the ball striking.
For this purpose I construct the ball with internal bladder as usual, and at the
opening left for distending the same I apply, say by usual sewing, the pieces of
leather forming the tongue, the edges of which I lace closely by a strip of leather or
the like as much as usual, and then the open lips on the case I draw closely and
smoothly together and so covering up entirely the lacing and rendering the ball of
substantially the same smooth surface throughout, avoiding the projections and
enabling a ball to be constructed which will better resist wear, with other advantages.
Dated the 26th day of October 1889.
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Footballs.
I FREDERICK HENRY AYRES of 111 Aldersgate Street, in the City of London,
Manufacturer, 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 :-
This invention relates to the manufacture of balls for use in playing the game of
football.
The object of the invention is to render the balls on their exterior at the part
where the lacing is usually placed as nearly smooth as the rest of the surface of the
ball as possible, so as to avoid projecting parts such as the present lacing, liable to cut
the face of the players in the event of the ball striking.
For this purpose I construct the ball with internal bladder as usual, and at the
opening left for distending the same I apply, say by usual sewing, the pieces of
leather forming the tongue, the edges of which I lace closely by a strip of leather or
the like (much as usual), and then the open lips on the case I draw closely and
smoothly together, and so covering up entirely the lacing, and rendering the ball of
substantially the same smooth surface throughout, avoiding the projections and
enabling a ball to be constructed which will better resist wear, with other
advantages.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 shews a plan view of that part of the football where the opening for the
insertion of the bladder to be distended is to be effected.
Fig. 2 shews a view of the same part when the distension of the ball has been
effected, the tongue laced up and the covering pieces drawn together and secured.
Fig. shews a section on the line A-A (Fig. 2).
a indicates the ordinary leather covering of a football, the tongue pieces, c being
the lacing piece passed through openings b¹ in the tongues, and then the ends of the

page_text: lacing c c being knotted together and tucked in, the lips a¹ a' of the cover are drawn
together and secured by sewing or otherwise. The dotted line 63 indicates the shape
of the parts of the tongue pieces. a² is the sewing securing the tongue pieces to the
cover a.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is -
:-
In a football, the combination or arrangement of the tongue pieces bb, holes ³,
lacing c, sewing a² and lips a' a', sewn or otherwise secured together as set forth, so
as to cover up the lacing and render the surface of the ball substantially smooth
throughout.
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.