Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd July, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 23rd July, 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 7th Sept., 1888
We WILLIAM SANDAY of Radcliffe on Trent in the County of Nottingham, Esquire,
and HENRY PARR of the same place, in the same County, Builder do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows
The object of this Invention is to improve the construction of Lawn Tennis Poles
and "Standards" so as to make them easier of application simpler in construction &
cheaper to manufacture.
One method of carrying out our Invention is as follows on a suitable Base plate of
metal we place a square hole socket which receives the upper end of a shaft squared
at its top to fit into the socket & provided at its bottom end with one turn of a screw
made of any suitable pitch so as to enable it to obtain a secure hold on the ground
when turned or screwed into it. The screw is provided with a central point. This
Screw shaft is secured in the socket in the Base plate by means of a set screw &
above this socket the Base plate is so made as to form two lugs making a slot between
them across which a pin extends making a pivot for the bottom end of the Pole which
has a projecting tongue fitting into the slot. The tongue is provided with a central
hole so as to pivot on the pin in the slot & in order to facilitate the removal of the pole
from the Base plate we make the tongue at the bottom of the Pole to form a hook
which readily slips on the pin in the slot in the Base plate & so forms a pivot for the
Pole.
The Pole itself is made of Iron tube & the hooked tongue at the bottom end forming
its pivot is a small casting attached to the tube forming the pole; higher up on the
Pole another small casting carries a slot provided with a pin which forms a pivot for a
strut which hangs suspended from it & has its lower end formed as a pawl which
engages with a rack carried on the Base plate the object of this strut is firstly to resist
the pull on the Net and secondly to afford a quick & powerful method of adjusting
the tension of the Net so that the Net being fixed to the Pole in the usual manner
it only requires a pull on the Top of the Pole to tighten it. The Base plate being

page_text: firmly held by means of the Screw the strat of course participates in the movement
of the Pole & its lower end formed like a pawl slides over the face of the rack teeth
until the pull on the Pole ceases at which time the pawl engages with a tooth in the
rack & so causes the strut to be perfectly rigid against the pull. It is obvious
that by slackening the set screw holding the squared end of the screw shaft, the Pole
may be removed & the grass mown at any time without taking up the screw.
Above the small casting carrying the centre for the strut we place another collar
made so as to slide up & down on the Pole & fastened in any desired position by a set
screw. We make a groove on the boss of this collar so as to permit the cord to be
looped on it & consequently when it is desired to regulate the length of the cord we
simply slide the collar up or down the Pole & fix it in the desired position by the
screw.
We also improve on the form of the "Standard" making a simple rod of wood
or any other suitable material, having a point & shoulder to insert in the ground &
provided at its top with a brass cap with a groove in it, for the reception of the cord
across which a thin piece of metal swings from a centre carried on one side of the
groove & thus secures the cord in its proper position.
WM. SANDAY.
HENRY PARR.

page_text: Fig. 6
plan
do.
A is the Base plate (Figs. 12. 4) B is the socket for the end of the screw used
to secure the pole to the ground this socket is made square and the end of the screw Cis
made so as to fit into it & is held in position by the set screw D the lower end of
shaft C is provided with one turn of a suitable screw (₁. The Base plate A has a
rack E formed on it and also its central portion is formed into two lugs F F¹ carrying
a pin G on which the tongue G¹ pivots, this tongue is slotted out to its centre hole so
as to form a hook G₁ which readily slips on the pin G when the pole is inclined as
shewn in dotted line in Fig. 4 where the Pole is shewn in two positions, the dotted
lines shewing the hook'd end of the Pole applied to the pin G & the full lines
shewing the Pole as being hook'd on to the Base plate & in its vertical position. His
the Pole made of Iron tube, or any other suitable material, for the sake of lightness &
rigidity the Hook G¹ being firmly attached to the Pole & above it the casting I (also
attached to the Pole, carries the centre pin J on which the strut K hangs the lower
end of which is made like a pawl so as to engage with the rack E. This rack is made
double having a slot L in the middle (see Fig. 3) into which a guide piece M on the
lower end of strut K enters & prevents any side movement on the part of the
strut K.
It will be obvious that when the Pole H is pulled over in the direction of the arrow
in Fig. 1, the pawl K rides over the teeth of the rack E & consequently any pull
coming from the reverse direction, as in tightening up the Net is resisted by the
strut K engaging with the rack E & is held firmly. We provide suitable hooks on the
Pole for hooking on the Net.
Above the small casting carrying the centre of the strut K we place another
collar N made so as to slide up & down on the Pole & fastened in any desired position
by a set screw O. We make a groove P on the boss of this collar so as to permit the
cord to be looped on it & consequently when it is desired to regulate the length of
the cord we simply slide the collar N up or down the pole & fix it in the desired
position by the set screw O.

page_text: In Figs. 5 & 6 we shew our Improved "Standard" Q is the rod having at its base a
point & a shoulder to rest on the ground.
At its top we fix a small cap of metal R having a groove S formed in it, in which
the cord rests. T is a pin forming a centre for the metal clip U, to turn on so as to
swing back to position shewn in dotted line in Fig. 6.
Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of our said Inven-
tion & in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is
1. The improved Lawn Tennis Pole with its pivot on the Base plate & its attached
strut working in a rack & actuated by a simple pull substantially as described &
illustrated in Fig. 1 2 3 & 4.
2. The combination of the screw C (Figs. 1 & 2) substantially as shewn &
described, with the Pole for the purpose of easily & firmly fixing the pole to the
ground.
;
3. The strut K with its lower end formed to act as a pawl & the projecting
tongue M to centre the strut in the slot to prevent its slipping sidewise from the Rack
substantially as shewn & described in Figs. 1 2 & 3.
4. The improved form of "Standard with its method of securing the cord in the
groove substantially as shewn & described in Figs. 5 & 6.
Dated this 23rd day of July 1888.