IMPROVEMENTS IN FOOTBALLS
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Mar., 1887
Complete Left, 23rd Sept., 1887
Complete Accepted, 11th Nov., 1887
I, JOHN KNEEN, Saddler and General Leather Goods Manufacturer 75 Bridge Street
Warrington do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
FOOTBALLS to be as follows:-
For fastening leather footballs and abolishing lacing by means of a round leather
sliding valve about 1 inches in diameter, which is placed in the centre of one of the
gussets and also in the centre of the oval. The valve consists of a small piece of solid
leather and is held in its position, when inflated, by a larger inside piece of polished
leather.
In order to open the ball, press down the valve with the thumb, and slide it
between the leather gusset and the indiarubber bladder, thereby exposing the pipe of
the bladder.

page_text: I JOHN KNEEN of 75 Bridge Street Warrington in the County of Lancaster
do hereby declare the nature of this Invention and in what manner the same is to
bo performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
My Invention has for its object to efficiently close the opening in the leather
casing of footballs without the lacing which has hitherto been adopted. According to
my Invention I fill the said opening with a leather piece or valve which is kept closed
by the pressure of the blown up India rubber within the leather casing.
I will describe with reference to the accompanying drawing what I consider to be
the best mode of carrying my Invention into effect although I wish it to be understood
that I do not confine myself to the precise details which I hereinafter describe and
illustrate.
Figure 1 is a partial longitudinal section of a football with the leather casing
provided with a closure according to my Invention and Figure 2 is an external view
of the same. Figure 3 shews the valve or closing piece separately. A is the leather
casing and B the opening therein by which access is obtained when required to the
India rubber ball D for instance to blow in the air by the tube d for expanding the
ball D.
The closure is shewn as consisting of a valve C with a projecting portion c which
bears on the inner side of the leather casing A when the valve C fills the opening B
the pressure of the expanded inner ball D pressing the portion c firmly into contact
with the said inner side. In order to open the orifice B the valve C is pressed
inwards until it clears the opening B and then it can be moved away from the said
opening so that the projecting portion c is also clear of the said opening and access
can then be had to the interior, c² is a wire attached to the valve which wire may be
used if desired for drawing the valve back into place in closing the opening B.
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-
First. A football wherein the orifice in the casing is closed by a filling piece kept
in place by pressure from within substantially as herein before described.
Second. The combination with a football casing of a valve C constructed and
applied to the opening B as hereinbefore described and illustrated.
Dated this Seventeenth day of September 18×7