Improvements in Lawn Tennis Poles.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 29th July, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 29th May, 1890-Accepted, 5th July, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Lawn Tennis Poles.
WILLIAM HENRY BARWELL Joiner Radcliffe on Trent in the County of Nottingham
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My Invention is as follows
First. An improved earth plate and socket in which the poles stand is made of
iron or steel to be driven into the ground and is provided with flanges which run
from top to bottom of socket on two opposite sides and of sufficent width to get a firm
hold of the ground necesary to resist the strain of net and hold the poles in a upright
possision the flanges may be cast on socket or fixed on by screws or other suitable
means.
2nd. Improved means of straining or tightning net a lever is attached to the pole
by a hinged joint on which it works freely and in the lever and about 3 inches from
the end which is hinged to the pole is another joint in which joint there is a grip
jaw formed and only having sufficent movement to open and close the jaw through
which the cord from the top of net passes when the lever is raised the cord passes
freely through the grip jaw when the lever is pressed down the jaw takes a firm grip
on the cord thereby forming a powerful lever to tighten the cord of net.
3rd. An automatic clutch to hold the cord of net as it is tightned by the action of
the afore mentioned lever, and is constructed in the following manner a slot is cut in
the top of the pole in which a small triangular lever is pivoted with one point of the
triangle standing a little above the top of pole in which a small friction pulley
is fitted the other point of the triangular lever comes to the side of pole and over
which a bar passes, against which the lever presses, the cord of net is passed over the
small friction pulley in the top of triangular lever and passes between the bottom
point of triangular lever and the bar and is there held.
Dated this 27th day of July 1880
WILLIAM H. BARWELL.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Lawn Tennis Poles.
I WILLIAM HENRY BARWELL Radcliffe-on-Trent Nottinghamshire Joiner 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:-
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Lawn Tennis Poles.
I WILLIAM HENRY BARWELL Radcliffe-on-Trent Nottinghamshire Joiner 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:-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a side view of a lawn tennis pole provided with an improved earth
socket, net tightening apparatus and automatic clutch or cord holder. :
Figure 2 an edge view of the same with the cord removed.
Figure 3 a side view of the clutch with one half broken away to show the cord
holding lever.
Figure 4, a plan of the clutch.
Each lawn tennis pole A is held in an upright position by its lower end being
placed in the socket of an iron or steel plate B which forms a flange from top to
bottom of the socket on each side, of sufficient width to get a firm hold of the
ground when driven into it, so as to resist the strain of the net upon the pole A
which may be formed of wood, or iron pipe as shown in the drawings, Figures 1
and 2

page_text: One side of the socket bas a slot B' formed across it to receive the end of a lever
which is employed to withdraw the plate from the ground.
The net tightening apparatus consists of a lever C attached by a hinged joint to
near the upper end of the pole, the outer end of the lever C has a hand lever C'
hinged to it, the two levers forming a pair of grip jaws between which the cord D
from the top of the net is passed while the levers are held in the raised position shown
by dotted lines at Figure 1.
The cord is placed within the loop of a wire C³ which projects from the top of
the grip jaw of the lever C, the cord then passes freely through the jaws, which take
a firm grip on the cord as the levers are lowered into the position shown at Figure 1
thereby forming a powerfull lever to tighten the cord of the net.
The tightened cord is held by an automatic clutch shown at Figures and
constructed as follows.
The top of the pole may be slotted to receive a triangular or other shaped lever,
or the top of the pole may receive the stem of a slotted terminal E provided with
an axle pin on which a lever E¹ rocks the upper end of the lever carries a friction
pulley E³.
The lower end of the lever E assumes the position shown by dotted lines at Figure 3
while the cord D is being tightened by the lowering of the grip jaws.
When in use the cord from the top of the net is passed over the friction pulley E
down by the side of the lever E¹ between it and a bar E³ in front of it formed by
portion of the terminal, the cord being firmly clamped between the lever and the bar
as shown at Figure 1 when the levers C and C are loosed.
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
The construction and employment of improved lawn tennis poles substantially as
described and illustrated in the Drawings annexed.
Dated this Twenty-eighth day of May 1890.
Witness,
H. W. GOUGH, С.E.,
Nottingham.
WILLIAM HENRY BARWELL.