Year: 1884

page_text: I, JAMES YATE JOHNSON of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this Invention which has been
communicated to me from abroad by John Philip Rider of Fishkill Dutchess
County, New York, in the United States of America to be as follows:-
.
This Invention relates to that class of india rubber balls that are used in playing
lawn tennis and other similar games. It is very difficult to produce all the
qualities in a hollow elastic rubber ball which are desired by experts in lawn
tennis. The balls must all be exactly of a fixed and uniform size and weight.
The balls must have hardness, lightness, the proper degree of elasticity, quickness
of rebound when struck by the racket or tennis bat, or in other words resiliency,
that is a rapid elasticity of a quality similar to that of steel. It must be sufficiently
bard and stiff not to flatten against the blow of the racket.
In practical manufacture it has been found very difficult or impossible to
satisfactorily produce balls that combine all these qualities.
This Invention accomplishes the desired results and at the same time is more
economical and simpler than the plans hitherto adopted or proposed and the balls
are more durable, reliable and uniform, and do not require the employment of
highly skilled labour to make them.
The Invention consists in the insertion in the interior of the ball of strips of
rubber or gulta percha placed equidistant or substantially so from each other and
preferably at right angles to the line of the mould seam, and running from end to
end of each quarter of the ball, along the centre of each quarter on the inner side.
The number of the strips is preferably four but it may of course be varied as also
may the position of the said strips. These lines however, in order to properly
balance the ball should join at opposite poles of the ball. Strips about three eighths
of an inch in width and three sixteenths to one quarter of an inch in thickness,
have been found to answer the purpose very well. The reenforcing ribs are
attached to the quarters of rubber before they are put together and the ball
formed. There is no difficulty in doing this with accuracy, and an ordinary work-

page_text: man can so place the ribs upon the quarters that the balls when put together
will be uniform and thus the uncertainty of result which attended the best method
of manufacture formerly known is avoided and the expense is reduced. In making
the ball according to this Invention the seams are preferably not lapped but are
what is known as "butt seama "the latter seams being made with much greater
facility and accuracy than are the lapped seams.
A ball constructed in this way and otherwise properly made or treated in the
manner well known to manufacturers of rubber balls, has been found to possess in
a high degree all the qualities which are desirable in a lawn tennis ball, especially
the qualities of quickness and accuracy in responding to the blow given it by the
racket. The elasticity which is required is peculiar; a very high degree of
elasticity is not required as much as quickness of action, and this result is obtained
by this Invention.
160M

page_text: I, JAMES YATE JOHNSON, of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention which has been
communicated to me from abroad by John Philip Rider of Fishkill Dutchess
County, New York, in the United States of America, 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 that class of India rubber balls that are used in playing
lawn tennis and other similar games. It is very difficult to produce all the
qualities in, a hollow elastic rubber hall which are desired by experts in lawn
tennis. The balls must all be exactly of a fixed and uniform size and weight.
The balls must have hardness, lightness, the proper degree of elasticity and
quickness of rebound when struck by the racket or tennis bat or in other words
resiliency, that is, a rapid elasticity of a quality similar to that of steel. It must
be sufficiently hard and stiff not to flatten against the blow of the racket.
In practical manufacture, it has been found very difficult or impossible to
satisfactorily produce balls that combine all these qualities.
This Invention accomplishes the desired results and at the same time is more
economical and simpler than the plans hitherto adopted or proposed and the balls
are more durable reliable and uniform and do not require the employment of
highly skilled labour to make them.
The Invention consists in the insertion in the interior of ball of strips of rubber or
gutta percha placed equi-distant or substantially so from each other and preferably
at right angles to the line of the mould seam and running from end to end of
cach quarter of the ball along the centre of each quarter on the inner side-The
number of the strips is preferably four but it may of course be varied as also may
the position of the said strips. These lines however in order to properly balance the
ball should join at opposite poles of the ball-Strips about three eighths of an inch
in width and three sixteenths to one quarter of an inch in thickness have been
found to answer the purpose very well. The reenforcing ribs are attached to the
quarters of rubber before they are put together and the ball forined. There is no
difficulty in doing this with accuracy and an ordinary workman can so place the
ribs upon the quarters that the balls when put together will be uniform and thus
the uncertainty of result which attended the best method of manufacture formerly
known, is avoided and the expense is reduced. In making the ball according to
this Invention the seams are preferably not lapped but are what is known as
"butt seans
the latter seams being made with much greater facility and
accuracy than are the lapped seams.
"
In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a view of the outside of a ball
constructed in accordance with the Invention and Figure 2 a cross section on
line xx.
The ball is made up of four quarters in its usual way the edges being brought
together forming what is known as a "butt joint." The lines a indicate these
joints. Before the quarters are brought together the elastio reenforcing strips 6

page_text: are applied preferable along the centre line of each quarter though obviously their
exact location is not material. The ends of these strips meet on the opposite
poles A B of the ball.
A ball constructed in this way and otherwise properly made or treated in the
manner well known to manufacturers of rubber balls has been found to possess in
a high degree all the qualities which are desirable in a lawn tennis ball especially
the qualities of quickness and accuracy in responding to the blow given it by the
racket. The elasticity which is required is peculiar-A very high degree of
elasticity is not required as much as quickness of action and this result is obtained
by this Invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed. I declare that what
I claim is,
‚ First—As a new article of manufacture a hollow elastic ball made of india
rubber with reenforcing elastic strips on its inner surface substantially as
described.
A-LIKE-lactin-material-the-inner-