Foot-ball.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Feb., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Nov., 1892-Accepted, 14th Jan., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Foot-ball.
WILLIAM RUSTON 165 Parnell Road Bow, E. Professional Cricketer do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Football with valve, self acting, inside bladder, therefore requires no tieing, no
laceing, and can be inflated through a small hole, in outside case you can also
release wind, at will, by simply pushing a small substance, about the size of a
match, into hole where you inflate it. This is so simple, that a child would be able
to inflate it, and release it, a few minutes before play, and after respectively.
Dated this 4th day of February 1892.
WILLIAM RUSTON.
Foot-ball.
I WILLIAM RUSTON of No. 165 Parnell Road Bow, E. Professional Cricketer 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:
The purpose of the invention is an improvement in football bladders by a
process of inflation of such bladders from the outer case of the ball without opening
the same.
In inventions hitherto the subject of Patents relating to football bladders the
inflation of the bladder has always been provided for by some internal process and
the opening of the outer case.
The principle of my invention is that such inflation can be effected from the
outer case of the ball without opening in the following manner.
Instead of the bladder having the ordinary long neck such as all footballs now
have my invention provides for a very short one just sufficient to reach from the
inner to the outer case. I have also a rubber valve a portion of which I draw
through the said bladder. I then place the bladder in the outer case and draw
the said neck of the bladder up to or through a hole in the outer case such as the
lace hole or any other that it may be expedient to utilize for the purpose for
ordinary football inflation. By this means the ball can be inflated from the outer
case or the air can be released in a few seconds from the same source without
unlacing or untieing as is the case in all footballs at present in use. My valve is
perfectly air tight and so constructed that the ball as soon as blown can imme-
diately be thrown to the players and is by the simple operation of inflation ready
for use for all the purposes of the game of football.
I describe the valve and external cut as follows:
1st. I get a piece of rubber tubing of either round square or oval or any other
form or shape for use in connection with my invention. I then make a small clean
cut in each piece of tubing near the end of such tube which is inside the bladder
and then force a piece of cork or any other similar substance much larger than the
hole in the bladder end of the tube and near the cut the effect of which is to imme-
diately close such cut and also to cause great pressure on the said cut sufficient to
prevent any air from escaping so as to lessen the inflation of the ball. By the
introduction of a small hard substance into the outer case end of the tube and at
the same time the application of slight pressure on the cork thereby distending the
rubber the cut in the tube is opened and the air is immediately released. The
D

page_text: valve can also be strengthened by pressing the cut close and cementing a piece of
tape down either side of the tube the effect of which would be to prevent the cut
from opening until forced the whole process herein before described forming a very
simple and a very effective valve by means of which a bladder may be inflated
from the external case and the air released therefrom by the same process, and the
prevention of escape of air from the ball while inflated.
at
"a a" indicates the whole rubber valve the subject of the invention described in
this Specification as it would be placed in the inner and outer cases of the
football.
"b" indicates the short neck between the said inner and outer cases.
"c" indicates the external aperture through which the air is forced for inflating
the bladder.
"d" indicates the internal aperture through which the bladder is inflated from
the outer case of the ball.
"e" indicates the position in which is placed the substance the effect of the
pressure caused by the insertion of which is the closure of the aperture "d."
66
{"
Figure 2.
e e "the line so marked represents the outer case of the ball.
'ff" the dotted line so marked represents the bladder of the ball.
indicates the external aperture before described.
"
"a a
"
Figure 1
represents the valve and its parts as described in the Specification and
and in the explanation of the drawing "Figure 1."
"" represents the space of the ball, or part of the ball, to be inflated.
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
1. A simplified and novel process of inflating footballs or other similar balls from
the external case by means of the rubber valve before described.
2. The prevention of the escape of air from the inflated ball by means of the
same valve as before described.
3. A simplified and novel process of releasing the air from the inflated ball in the
manner and by the means of the said ball substantially as above described.
Dated this Third day of November 1892.
WM. KUSTON.